Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta saw his “unbelievable” team scale new heights as they fought back to snatch a priceless Premier League win at Newcastle.
A day after leaders Liverpool had lost for the first time this season, the Gunners spared themselves a similar fate at St James’ Park when defender Gabriel clinched a 2-1 comeback victory in the sixth minute of stoppage time to close the gap to just two points.
Asked to sum up his emotions afterwards, a delighted Arteta said: “Unbelievable feeling. That’s what football is about. As a team when you get what you deserve right at the end, there’s not a better feeling than that.”
He added: “The belief, the conviction of the team that we are and how we can play various types of games and the team still can deliver and win it in a convincing way…
“For me today at one of the most difficult grounds – again, praise Newcastle, the way they play, compete, how difficult it is to play at this place, but the team really took their game to a different level and I’m very proud to see that.”
An eventful afternoon on Tyneside started in unpromising fashion for the visitors when they were initially awarded a penalty by referee Jarred Gillett for Nick Pope’s challenge on Viktor Gyokeres, but saw it overturned after a VAR review because the keeper got a touch on the ball before colliding with the striker.
A bemused Arteta said: “I watched live and then I watched it on the screen and for me, it was a penalty. We were instructed very clearly again this season that unless it’s a clear and obvious error, the VAR is not going to intervene. It’s not, so my opinion stands.
“But we found a way to win the game, the team was still emotionally very, very calm and very composed and that’s a lesson that we took, probably, from a few years ago.”
Arsenal dominated for long periods as the Magpies struggled for fluency, but it was they who took a 34th-minute lead when record signing Nick Woltemade headed home his second goal for the club from a Sandro Tonali cross.
They defended their advantage until six minutes from time when old boy Mikel Merino came off the bench to level before Gabriel repeated the dose at the death.
Disappointed head coach Eddie Howe said: “I don’t think it was our best performance, but still winning that game 1-0 would have been the perfect boost for us because we’ve done that many, many times.
“Today, unfortunately, we couldn’t hold on to that and end up with nothing.”
Howe’s misery was compounded by an injury to in-form full-back Tino Livramento, who was carried from the field on a stretcher with a knee problem during the second half.
Howe, who takes his side to Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, said: “Seeing him go off in that manner was really distressing.
“He’s been such a big player for us in so many different ways, his versatility, his attitude, his quality and if we’re going to miss that for any length of time, that’s going to be a huge blow.”
