Newcastle nearly double their lead seconds after the restart as Anthony Gordon plays in Joe Willock, but he cannot get enough power on the shot and David Raya saves.

Joe Cole
Ex-Chelsea and England midfielder on TNT Sports

Newcastle have made it a bitty game which suits them.

Arteta will have let his players know at half-time there. It's a big 45 minutes and they need to get back in the game.

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Arsenal are made to wait a bit as Newcastle take their time coming back out onto the pitch.

The Gunners kick-off the second half. There have been no changes at the break.

Arteta's defensive stability over attacking intent is costing Arsenal dearly this season. As soon as they concede it's difficult to know where an equaliser will come from.

Mickey

Joe Cole
Ex-Chelsea and England midfielder on TNT Sports

Arsenal have not been at it.

Big credit to Newcastle for the way they have set up but Arsenal have not been at it. I will be stunned if there's no changes at half-time.

Martin Keown
Former England defender on TNT Sports

If you are touch tight there in the box, you avoid that goal.

There is only one defender and two strikers and you avoid that if you get tight.

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James McFadden
Former Scotland forward on BBC Radio 5 Live

Arsenal have controlled large spells at times and looked for the openings, but when they have gotten into those wide areas and crossed a ball in a Newcastle player has been there every time.

Mikel Arteta will be looking for more of a threat from his team, that final pass and bit of spark has been missing.

James McFadden
Former Scotland forward on BBC Radio 5 Live

Eddie Howe will be delighted with how his team have performed, they haven't been cut open and have managed to look very dangerous themselves and got a goal. Newcastle have been resolute at the back as well, stopping Arsenal from creating any clear cut chances.

Image source, EPA

This is the first time in 29 games that Arsenal are trailing at half time in a Premier League match since December 2023 against West Ham, suffering a 2-0 defeat that day.

Speaking as an Arsenal fan, that booking for Schar for kicking the ball away is terrible news. Completely ruined our conspiracy theory that the rule only applies to Arsenal players. It's like finding out there was no second shooter on the grassy knoll.

Rodney

That's the half.

Not too many chances but a piece of genuine quality led to the only goal, with Anthony's Gordon brilliant cross converted by Alexander Isak.

Image source, Getty Images

Good goalkeeping Nick Pope as he first punches Gabriel Martinelli's cross clear, before claiming Mikel Merino's cross from a similar position on the left.

Three minutes to be added on.

Image source, Getty Images

If Arsenal go on to lose at Newcastle this afternoon, they could be eight points behind Manchester City, if Pep Guardiola's team win at Bournemouth (15:00 GMT).

In the Premier League, the record for points behind first by an eventual champion who had played exactly 10 games is eight, which was Blackburn on 22 October 1994. Blackburn had played a game fewer than leaders Newcastle on that occasion, though.

The only others to have come back from a sizeable gap in the first 10 games were Manchester United in the 2002-03 season, when they were six points behind, and Manchester City in the 2014-14 and 2020-21 seasons (also six points).

What is all this nonsense about injuries and Arsenal? It's fair to say Odegaard is a real miss but Calafiori was hardly a nailed starter. Is there anyone else? Also, it's on Arteta and Edu that they let Smith Rowe go when they could have sorely done with him.

Max, London