Arsenal falls in Newcastle and moves away from the options of returning to the Champions League

Arsenal (5th) lost 2-0 on their visit to Newcastle (12th), a result that distances the ‘Gunners’ from the possibility of playing the Champions League again next season after six years of absence.

Defeated by Tottenham (4th), their direct rival for fourth place last Thursday (3-0), Mikel Arteta’s men once again failed in a capital duel for their Champions League aspirations.

With two points behind the ‘Spurs’ and a very unfavorable goal difference (+24 for +9), Tottenham will have enough next Sunday with a draw in their visit to the already relegated Norwich to seal their ticket for the Champions regardless of the rest of the results of the two days to play.

Arsenal, meanwhile, will receive an Everton that is playing for permanence (16th) with the obligation to win and wait for a defeat by the ‘Spurs’ to reach the last day with options.

In a season finale in which Arteta’s men have noticed the lack of some of their key pieces (such as the Ghanaian Thomas Partey) and have paid for the immaturity of the youngest squad in the entire Premier League, Ben White ended up finding the prize Newcastle’s dominance by opening the scoring early in the second half (55).

The ‘Gunners’ not only reacted but could have conceded more goals (with chances missed by Jacob Murphy and Callum Wilson), until the Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes, one of the symbols of the resurrection of a Newcastle that seemed doomed to relegation in January , sentenced little to the end (85).

“They were much better than us from minute one and they deserved the victory,” admitted Arteta, adding that his team was “far from playing as needed to reach the Champions League.” (D)