New Delhi: Arsenal defeated Newcastle United 1-0 to return to the top of the Premier League table on Saturday, extending their advantage over Manchester City as the title race intensifies. Eeberechi Eze scored the only goal in the game, which was enough to give Mikel Arteta’s men a narrow victory over Newcastle, keeping their title hopes intact.
Arsenal started the game under tremendous pressure after their loss to Manchester City last week blew the title race open. City’s win over Burnley earlier this week meant Arsenal slipped to the second spot in the Premier League table for the first time since October. The Gunners needed to beat Newcastle to remain alive in the title race and delivered in the must-win clash to retain the top spot.
Eze scored in the 9th minute to give Arsenal a decisive 1-0 victory against Newcastle United at the Emirates. It was a sublime goal from the English forward, which ensured Arsenal headed into the break 1-0 ahead. Arteta’s men managed to hold on to the narrow lead in the second half to secure all three points and go three points clear of Manchester City at the top.
The win also brought an end to Arsenal’s two-match losing streak in the Premier League. After leading the league for the majority of the season, the Gunners once again found themselves bottling the title with back-to-back defeats against Bournemouth and Manchester City in their last two Premier League outings. However, the win against Newcastle has put them back on top with just four games left in the season.
“I’m really happy for the win. We talked about ‘game one’ and how important that was. We did the job,” said Arsenal manager Arteta, who called the remainder of the season a “new league” after his side’s loss to Pep Guardiola’s City last week.
“We had to do what was in our hands and we discussed that. Game one is in our hands, what we do and how we approach the game. Are we able to win it? We’ve done it. We wanted bigger margins. It’s not been possible, but we certainly have done the job,” he added.
Manchester City still have a game in hand
Though Arsenal have returned to the top and gone three points clear of City with their win over Newcastle on Saturday, Guardiola’s men still have a chance to catch up. City are currently on 70 points after 33 matches, only three points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand. They have their destiny in their own hands.
City will need to win all their remaining five matches in the Premier League to take the title race down to the wire. However, City will not return to action until May 05, when they take on Everton at home. Arsenal, on the other hand, play Fulham on May 02 and will have a chance to go six points clear of City with a win at the Emirates in their next Premier League outing.
Arsenal will take on Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal before facing Fulham at home in the Premier League. Arsenal have only four matches remaining in the Premier League, and any further slip-ups might result in City once again taking the title away from them.