.jpg?trim=0,1,0,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800 "Stars speak out after AI actress attracts agency interest: ‘What about living young women?’ – UK Times")
Europe and USA, Newcastle and Arsenal. Here was the latest round of what has become the Premier League’s most irritable and intriguing rivalry. Welcome to Bethpage Black and White, where the raiders absorbed the barbs and biting tackles and held their nerve on the green of the St James’ Park battleground to sink one at the last.
Arsenal were trailing 1-0 entering the 85th minute, plugged in the bunker and with the home crowd screeching in appreciation of every Nick Pope save and Sven Botman block. They did not throw beer, but they were throwing every last sinew of support behind a team who had not played particularly well but had fought fiercely.
Whereas Superman has kryptonite, Arsenal have had Tyneside of late. After another bruising and bitter contest, ignited by controversy and flashpoints, Mikel Arteta’s side were headed for a fourth straight defeat here, and again without scoring a goal.
To have lost, on a weekend when pace-setters Liverpool finally slowed, would have felt like them conceding the Premier League on the front nine. This was an opportunity they had to take to avoid a fallout that would have centred on them being chokers. And so, they cleared their throats for the finale.
With their 11th corner of the afternoon, the ball was worked short and, finally, back to Declan Rice. He crossed and, with the subtlest of flicks, substitute Mikel Merino skidded a headed equaliser via the base of the post. The Spaniard had jumped taller than Botman, the centre-back beaten in the air for the first time after a heroic performance. The same could be said of Pope, the goalkeeper who made five world-class saves before a Sunday League ball into midfield led to Arsenal’s 12th corner in the 96th minute.
The visitors weren’t going short this time, the clock did not allow for intricacy. Instead, substitute Martin Odegaard hoisted a ball towards the goalmouth, where William Saliba acted as caddy for sidekick Gabriel with a canny block on Pope. Pinning Dan Burn and jumping to meet the dropping delivery, Gabriel turned in from a few yards out.
It caused the Arsenal dugout to empty and had a similar impact on the Gallowgate End, who had watched their team claw their way to within a few swings of victory. From one up to hole halved to one down, only USA captain Keegan Bradley would have felt lower than Eddie Howe on Sunday evening. At least Howe’s men had shown some fight.
Gabriel’s dramatic stoppage-time winner earned a vital three points for Mikel Arteta’s side
Mikel Merino ignited Arsenal’s comeback, scoring the 84th-minute equaliser from the bench
But, come the end, Arteta’s showed more, and that is why this felt like a hugely significant entry on this season’s scorecard. Even after full-time, a backroom member went toe-to-toe and nose-to-nose with Newcastle midfielder Joelinton, a bold if ill-advised pursuit. Ironically, Arteta played peacemaker. A quarter of an hour earlier he was in no mood for niceties with anyone. Nor was he 15 minutes in when Arsenal had a penalty overturned.
It looked a stonewaller on real-time viewing, Viktor Gyokeres reading Jacob Murphy’s back-pass and nicking the ball by Pope before being clattered. The only question to answer was whether Pope would be sent off. But VAR had seen something very few inside St James’ had noticed, and that was the slightest touch on the ball by Pope. Even the Newcastle keeper did not seem to protest against the award.
But there it was – the toe on the ball before the knee on the striker. And so, after a pitchside review, Jarred Gillett reversed his on-field decision. It was the right call, because as soon as Pope got something on the ball, everything after was secondary unless deemed excessive in force, which it was not. Gillett’s mic was still live when he told an infuriated Bukayo Saka, ‘The goalkeeper gets a toe on the ball before contact, that’s why!’.
Nick Woltemade gave Newcastle the lead in the first half – heading home Sandro Tonali’s cross
It felt like the moment Newcastle needed to light the fuse after a slow start. Come the 34th minute they were in front, but only after a couple of brilliant Pope saves.
Newcastle fans celebrating the award of a corner has felt pointless of late, given they rarely score from them or any form of set-piece. It’s like salivating at the sight of a steaming kettle when there are no tea-bags in the house. This time, though, their routine did come to the boil. It was short, but Newcastle were playing the long game. Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon swapped passes before the former hung a ball to the fringe of the six-yard area.
Howe has stressed that club-record signing Nick Woltemade needs minutes in his legs before he can be judged. Maybe, but what his legs lack his head is more than making up for during these early days. After losing Gabriel, who flopped to the turf in search of a free-kick, the German flashed a header into the bottom corner. It was all perm and power.
What played out for the next hour was all blood, studs and thunder – a Gabriel slap in the face of Woltemade that went unpunished followed by a Gabriel handball inside thew area that was, rightly, waved away for a penalty. And, just to mark the occasion, a yellow card for Newcastle assistant Jason Tindall.
And then, amid the fury, the softest of connections from Merino for 1-1. From scrambling for a draw, Arsenal were now free of the sand and within sight of a winning putt. The moment when it arrived will not win them the Premier League title, but it certainly killed off any talk of them losing it.
