The first of five obstacles has been cleared. Not with a flourish, not with a flowing masterpiece, but in the way title races often demand in the final stretch: one huge strike, plenty of nerves and a final whistle that brings more relief than beauty.
Arsenal beat Newcastle 1-0, stopped a run of four straight defeats, kept a clean sheet and, at least for a moment, restored the feeling that this team can still take what it has to take. Before the trip to Atletico in the Champions League and before the next league turn, that is more than enough.
The match was decided by Eberechi Eze, and he decided it in a way Arsenal have missed for a long time. This side has not had many players of that calibre, men who can shoot from almost any zone, without fear and without much warning, and still make the goal feel within reach. Eze’s rocket in the ninth minute was not just a fine goal. It was a reminder that Arsenal finally have someone who can shorten the story with one strike.
It may well be another case where Arteta’s nose for the right player at the right moment proves decisive. Right now, it certainly feels that way.
Of course, it could and should have been more comfortable. Arsenal had spells where they could have killed the match with a second goal and taken some of the weight off their own shoulders. But this remains one of the side’s problems: the final third often promises more than it delivers. The ball gets where it should, the rhythm begins to rise, and then what is missing is either the final pass, the calmer head or simply the decision to shoot when everyone expects one touch too many.
That is why the clean sheet at the end carried even more value.
Because it could have gone differently. Late on, when Gordon found Nick Woltemade behind the last line, the stadium froze for a second. It was one of those moments where both the crowd and everyone watching at home already see the worst. Raya was left alone with the Newcastle substitute, and then the finish flew high over the bar. The relief after that miss was almost as loud as the celebration after Eze’s goal.
That is the run-in. You do not only remember what you created, but what you survived.
The concern, though, remains around the injuries. Eze and Havertz both had to come off, and that is the one serious cloud hanging over the win. Arteta said after the match that the first signs point to minor muscle issues, but until the final diagnosis arrives it is difficult to pretend there is complete calm. At this point in the season even a small problem can become a major story.
Gyokeres again looked like a player leaving his heart on the pitch for the badge. He runs, he duels, he offers himself, he drags defenders around and does plenty of work that does not immediately show up in the numbers. But the impression remains that Odegaard still does not see him often enough, as if in the distribution of possession he is never quite the first option. Maybe that is rhythm, maybe time, maybe an understanding still being built, but it is visible. And that is now Arteta’s job. If he wants Gyokeres to decide big matches, then he has to shape the relationships around him, not just the player himself.
On the brighter side, one of the night’s best details was the return of Saka. The Golden Boy was back, got real minutes, got a few efforts away and, most importantly, looked like a player who is not just available on paper but ready to help. At this stage of the season, his presence alone changes the tone of the team.
That is why this win carries more weight than an ordinary 1-0. Arsenal were not perfect. They did not erase every doubt. They did not suddenly become a ruthless machine in the final third. But they did what they had to do: took three points, kept the clean sheet and stayed alive in a race where every goal now matters.
Next comes Atletico, then Fulham in the league. Only after those two Arsenal matches will City go to Everton, and that is where the next short-term target lies: put the pressure back on them and make them play while looking up at a summit that is unsettled again.
For now, it is enough to write this: the first obstacle is down. It was not easy, and it was not as pretty as we might have wanted, but it is down.
At this stage of the season, that is all that counts.
Author: B.