Arsenal 0-0 Newcastle - Match Report: Wet gunpowder

Oh, how the tears flowed.

It wasn’t just the rain that fell last night, it was Arsenal’s temperament. Mikel Arteta’s antics on the sidelines were nothing short of embarrassing as his toys were well and truly thrown out of the pram.

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Arsenal haven’t been left this frustrated since they played... Newcastle.

A disciplined, gritty, and at times feisty Newcastle side fully deserved their point at the Emirates Stadium. Referee Andy Madley was intent on booking every player on the pitch, but had to settle for nine cautions in the end. Madley was never in control of the game which led to some frustrating decisions.

Just for a couple of quick examples, Joelinton saw yellow for a well-timed tackle... while Almiron for seemingly standing 9.99 yards away instead of the required 10 before an Arsenal free kick.

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Eddie Howe’s side produced another impressive defensive performance to record a sixth consecutive clean sheet across all competitions, with Nick Pope equalling the 41-year club record held by former goalkeeper Kevin Carr.

The Magpies limited Arsenal to very few clear-cut chances. Pope was called into action when he denied fellow England teammate Bukayo Saka, stretching out his right leg to keep his clean sheet intact.

Joelinton had Newcastle’s best chance right on halftime, heading wide from a corner.

With the full-time whistle approaching, Pope produced an excellent stop to deny Eddie Nketiah after the Arsenal striker fired a low effort toward the right-hand corner but the in-form goalkeeper was on hand to block the attempt with his left leg.

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Arteta’s constant arm waving, a remarkable ode to Kermit the Frog, was wafted away by Howe when the pair came close on the sidelines. He may as well have had a dummy, screaming “But… but I didn’t get what I want! It’s so unfair!”

Arsenal supporters followed suit as they took to social media in force, tears smashing onto their respective screens. Keeping Saka relatively quiet was viewed as an action “against the spirit of the game.”

The earned point saw the Magpies stretch their unbeaten run to 15 matches in all competitions. Newcastle travel to Hillsborough on Saturday to face Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup, while Arsenal visit the Kassam Stadium to face Oxford United.

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News filtered through after the game that North London had suddenly seen a shortage of tissues. To help those in need you can call the crybaby helpline. Newcastle will continue to frustrate teams and opposition supporters and as a club, they’re embracing it.