Newcastle United 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal edged past 10-man Newcastle United 1-0 at St. James’ Park in an eventful tie. The game saw more cards then goals as the referee Andre Marriner was in the mood to book almost every player on the field.

The visitors were lackluster throughout the 90 minutes as they failed to breakdown a rugged Newcastle defense led by Tim Krul. It took an own goal from Toon captain Fabricio Coloccini for the Gunners to steal the game. Steve McLaren and his boys did well to keep their illustrious visitors at bay post the shocking red card of Alexander Mitrovic, who was sent off in the 16th minute.

Here are the player ratings from this drab tie in Tyneside.

Newcastle United:

Tim Krul – 8/10

The Dutch stopper continued his rich vein of form against Arsenal after impressing at Old Trafford. Krul made many crucial saves especially in the second half when Arsenal seemed like they were in the ascendancy.

Daryl Janmaat – 7/10

The right-back made a good comeback post his suspension. Despite the loss, he did his job to perfection in a 10-man lineup.

Chancel Mbemba – 6.5/10

The Toon newboy was effusive in the first half but somehow withered away considerably in the second. But he kept his cool when it mattered and had a yellow card issued to him early bud did well not to be drawn into silly challeneges.

Fabriccio Coloccini – 7/10

The Argentine was solid throughout the game and held his own against the pace of Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sanchez. He was unlucky, to score the own goal. He led from the front as Newcastle put up a fight against Arsenal.

Massadio Haidara – 7/10

He did exceptionally well against the pace of Oxlade-Chamberlain throughout the game. A good game for him down the left flank, though he was out of position for the shot that led to the goal.

Vurnon Anita – 6/10

The former Ajax man was mediocre. He tried to impose himself in the middle but sadly was outnumbered every time in the midfield. He was aptly replaced by Perez in the second half.

Jack Colback – 7/10

It was a surprising display from the Wearside born midfielder. He was disciplined and strong in midfield. In a game where it was raining cards, Colback with his reputation, came out of it unscathed. This speaks volumes about his performance today.

Moussa Sissoko – 6/10

He still is some way off from 100% fitness and this was evident in the second half. The Frenchman did what his manager expected of him without any fuss but appeared to lose steam as the game petered out.

Giorgio Wijnaldum – 7.5/10

He was arguably the best player for Newcastle in the outfield. If at all, the hosts threatened to score it was solely due to his splitting passes and pace on the break. The Dutch forward is slowly settling comfortably into this Magpies setup.

Florian Thauvin – 6.5/10

The French prodigy made a decent home debut against Arsenal. He is still coming to grips with the rigours of the Premier League. He was one of the bright sparks for the Toons in the attack. Despite his disciplinary antics, the early signs are impressive and it looks like it may work out well for Steve McClaren.

Alexander Mitrovic – 2/10

The Serb was hassling the Arsenal defenders but he sadly had to rush in for an early bath as he was sent off in the 16th minute by Andre Marriner. It was a clumsy challenge that saw him receive a red card. Tough luck.

Subs –

Ayoze Perez – 6/10

The 21-year-old forward looked lively in his brief spell but sadly couldn’t make any lasting impression in the game.

Siem De Jong – N/A

He came on too late at a stage in the game when both sides seemed to have accepted the result and had no impact, but it marked his return to the pitch after a long spell on the sidelines.

Papiss Cisse – 6/10

The Ivorian forward was nothing but a pale shadow of his former self.

Arsenal:

Petr Cech – 7/10

The Czech stopper was solid as usual between the sticks and kept Newcastle shots at bay which were few and far in the match.

Hector Bellerin – 7/10

The young right back has been a revelation for the Gunners and is continuing in his rich vein of form. He should have won a penalty for the Gunners when Florian Thauvin brought him down in the box but was unlucky not to be awarded the spot-kick.

Gabriel Paulista – 7/10

The Brazilian centrehalf looked at ease for large swathes of the game alongside Koscielny. The former Valencia man also joined his teammates in attack at times stepping out of defence as Newcastle were reduced to 10 men.

Laurent Koscielny – 7/10

He is Arsenal’s best defender by some distance and he proves this week in and week out. Today, he led the Arsenal defence with aplomb at the few instances during which they were needed.

Nacho Monreal – 7/10

The leftback was effective in troubling Newcastle wide men and he hassled Thauvin for majority of the game. It was a good game for the Spanish defender.

Francis Coquelin – 7/10

The French midfielder had his task cut out once Newcastle went down to the 10 men. Sadly, he didn’t do justice to his more ‘advanced’ role, although, he performed his defensive duties without any hassles.

Santi Cazorla – 8/10

The Spaniard worked his charm once again. He dictated the play from midfield and split Newcastle defence often. If his forwards had reciprocated his ideology this would’ve been a goalfest for Arsenal.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7.5/10

The English winger was effective and troubled the Magpies defence with his pace. He was the liveliest one amongst the attacking quartet and was in the right place in the right time to force the own goal.

Aaron Ramsey – 5/10

His passing was erratic and often without purpose. The Welshman lacked the vision and incision of a playmaker and he was ably dealt with by Newcastle defence. He had his share of chances but sadly couldn’t pounce on them.

Alexis Sanchez – 7/10

The Chilean sensation was one of the chief playmakers in the absence of Mesut Ozil. He did his best to set the ball rolling for the visitors but was let down by his teammates, especially Theo Walcott.

Theo Walcott – 5/10

The former Southampton man was simply woeful for whatever time he was there on the pitch. His failure to get behind a relatively slow Newcastle reargurad highlighted his misery. It was a baffling decision to start him ahead of Giroud, in first place.

Subs –

Mikel Arteta – 6/10

The Arsenal captain played his part for the 10 odd minutes, he played. He calmed the nerves on the pitch with his presence.