Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle: Emile Smith Rowe & Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang see FA Cup holders through
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Emile Smith Rowe broke the deadlock with a precise finish into the bottom corner, with former Arsenal striker Ian Wright describing it as a "calm and composed" strike
Extra-time goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ensured holders Arsenal beat a stubborn Newcastle in the FA Cup third round.
In-form Smith Rowe had an eventful evening after arriving as a second-half substitute, seeing a red card rightly rescinded before opening the scoring.
Aubameyang tapped in the second after a slick move cut Newcastle open.
Andy Carroll missed two golden chances in normal time, which could have sent Arsenal to a rare third-round exit.
The Gunners, who have won the FA Cup on a record 14 occasions, go into the fourth-round draw having being knocked out in the third round just once in the past 25 years.
But it could have been different had 32-year-old striker Carroll been able to convert his opportunities, particularly the second, which came in the final minute of normal time.
Arsenal would have had little time to recover from that and they had keeper Bernd Leno to thank as he reacted quickly to spread himself to smother Carroll's shot.
That chance came after former England striker Carroll had been unable to take another opportunity early in the second half, staying onside but sidefooting wide.
"It can only be defined as an absolute sitter," former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer said afterwards.
Instead, it was a player at the other end of his career who took the plaudits. Smith Rowe, with his energy and willingness to carry the ball, has added another dimension to Arsenal's attacking play in recent weeks.
After an insipid first half, the England youth international was brought on as a 56th-minute substitute by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta and quickly became the game's central character.
In the dying moments of normal time, he was shown a straight red card by referee Chris Kavanagh for a challenge on Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff, only for the official to overturn the decision after watching the incident again on the pitchside monitor.
On being able to stay on the pitch and then precisely fire in the crucial goal, Smith Rowe said: "I was really happy. It was a bit of a relief after the incident before, which definitely wasn't intentional.
"I am happy to get the goal and get through to the next round."
'He is playing with a lot of personality' - post-match reaction
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta:
"It was very impressive from Emile Smith Rowe because is playing with a lot of personality, a lot of risk. He is playing in areas where he needs to make things happen and he has got the talent to do it."
On his team's recent form: "We want to keep going and win more games. It's always important to stay in the competitions. We want to fight for this competition again, so today was a big game for us."
Newcastle boss Steve Bruce:
"You have to take your chances when they come along. We had the opportunity in the final few minutes and didn't grasp it. As a cup tie, it could have gone either way and we rue the missed chances.
"I thought Andy [Carroll] did fantastically well. If he had topped it off by scoring a goal, it would have been good for him. There were a lot of pleasing things. We've had a tough run of fixtures but we dust ourselves down and go again."
What's next?
Both sides are in Premier League action this coming midweek; Newcastle visit Sheffield United on Tuesday (18:00 GMT), while Arsenal host Crystal Palace on Thursday (20:00).
Why Aubameyang loves the FA Cup - stats of the day
Arsenal have won 24 of their past 25 FA Cup third-round ties, with the only exception coming against Nottingham Forest in 2017-18.
Newcastle have lost 11 of their past 12 FA Cup ties against Premier League opponents, including all of the past seven.
Since his first appearance of the season on 26 November, Emile Smith Rowe has been directly involved in six goals for Arsenal in all competitions (two goals, four assists). Only Alexandre Lacazette (six goals, one assist) has been involved in more in that time.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored in all four of his FA Cup appearances, netting six goals in total in the competition.
Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney has had three goal involvements (one goal, two assists) in his past two games - after having none in his first 20 appearances this season. The Scotland international created a game-high six chances against Newcastle.
Andy Carroll had nine of Newcastle's 12 shots in this match, although the Magpies failed to register a single attempt in extra-time.
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