Newcastle United

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Newcastle United and Arsenal, which saw Mikel Arteta's side stage a late comeback at St James' Park.

Here are some of your comments:

Newcastle fans

Duncan: Arsenal got what they deserved. We set up to not lose and not to win the game, which is always disappointing. It was such a negative approach, tactically speaking. Up until the 70th minute, Pope was 'man of the match' and then he reverted to type. Thiaw continues to impress at the back and seems to fit in rather well. The midfield was non-existent, much like the forward line. Tonali was doing his best to get the midfield into the game but failed miserably. Bruno was conspicuous by his absence, as was Murphy. Gordon was completely ineffective, only creating two noticeable instances of creative play. If this is Howe's approach to the season then you can keep it.

Dean: Eddie Howe needs to go. There is nothing new here and no skill like Alexander Isak. We were a one-trick pony team and now we just can't hit a barn door. We need new management with new ideas.

Ali: When will Newcastle's coaching team realise that sitting deep and pumping the ball back to the opposition is not working? Sometimes a team has to retain possession, but we are awful in that respect.

Richard: Surely we've got to look at Nick Pope's actions. He had a great first half then sold us out with poor distribution and was nowhere near the following corner.

Arsenal fans

Nigel: After Newcastle's goal I was honestly bewildered about the game plan and the line-up but, as always, Arteta silenced my inner question mark. The referee was awful and VAR was pointless. Overall, it was a hard-fought win which underpins our season aspirations; the Premier League title.

Brian: Arteta took the brake off and it showed.

Sean: We needed that win! I know it is early in the season but we need to keep the pressure on Liverpool. One concern is that Gyokeres doesn't score in big games, but maybe that is down to the way we play. He is a target man that needs crosses into the box.

Karl: We need more up front and chances need to be taken. While the defence does its thing, we need the attack to match. We can't keep relying on corners and free-kicks. A much needed win, but way harder than it needed to be.

Lou: I can feel the boys are determined now. We didn't start the season as great as we could have, but Saka is back and the whole team are together now.

Pundits Ellen White and Joe Hart join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham

• Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It was a case of deja vu for Newcastle United.

Liverpool snatched a dramatic late victory at St James' Park with a stoppage-time goal last month, and Arsenal followed suit on Sunday.

Leading in the 83rd minute, Newcastle will rue how they didn't at least come away with a point after conceding two late goals, particularly after finding a way to take the lead from a set-piece of their own.

They had been struggling to fire from set-plays in the opening weeks of the season, despite the obvious height in the side.

But, in a clever short routine, Sandro Tonali played a one-two with Anthony Gordon before swinging over a cross. Towering Nick Woltemade barely had to jump to score his second goal in three games since completing his club record £69m move from Stuttgart last month.

With his side in front, the German forward was given a standing ovation when he was replaced by William Osula midway through the second half.

But Newcastle looked affected by defender Tino Livramento coming off on a stretcher after landing awkwardly.

The Magpies had not conceded a goal from a set-play in the opening weeks of the campaign, but were ultimately undone by two corners.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe spoke to BBC Match of the Day after his side narrowly lost to Arsenal: "Two really late goals here at home hurts. We have to reflect and acknowledge that we weren't at our best. There was not a lack of effort but, from a footballing point of view, it wasn't quite there.

"The number of corners was probably the key thing. I think [Martin] Odegaard made a difference to their overall performance. The weight of pressure eventually told. So no lack of effort but the little details have cost us."

On the penalty calls: "You are always in the hands of VAR and I have to trust both decisions - one for us and one against us."

On the tight turnaround to Thursday's Champions League game: "The game is a good thing. After this painful defeat, it is good that we have another game soon after. We want to get confidence."

On Tino Livramento's injury: "It doesn't sound great. The fact he came off on a stretcher is not looking good."

Midfielder Sandro Tonali, who assisted Nick Woltemade, also spoke to BBC Match of the Day after the defeat: "It is difficult to lose a game in the last five minutes, but we are professionals and we have to change as quick as possible.

"We played a good game, especially in the first half, we were concentrated at all times. I think it was a good battle in the midfield, but we need to have maximum concentration over the whole 90 minutes. I want to take the positives into the next match.

"It was similar [to the Liverpool match] but I think we wanted to win the game until the last minute. I think sometimes we need to gain some experience and maybe a draw was the perfect result. I think we played a good game."

Did you know?

• Goalkeeper Nick Pope made four saves in the first half - his most in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League home match since May 2023, which was also against Arsenal (4).

Hear more from Howe on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Newcastle's performance

What did you make of Arsenal's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Record signing Nick Woltemade starts for Newcastle United as the hosts make six changes against Arsenal.

Nick Pope, Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn, Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali also come back into the starting line-up after head coach Eddie Howe rotated his side in their midweek win against Bradford City in the Carabao Cup.

It looks like Newcastle are going to line up with a back five.

Newcastle XI: Pope, Murphy, Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Livramento, Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Gordon, Woltemade

Substitutes: Ramsdale, Trippier, Lascelles, Barnes, Krafth, Osula, Elanga, Willock, Miley

Bukayo Saka is fit to make his first league start in a month as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also freshens up his side.

David Raya, Jurrien Timber, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Viktor Gyokeres come in following their midweek Carabao Cup win against Port Vale.

Arsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Saka, Gyokeres, Saka

Substitutes: Kepa, Saliba, Lewis-Skelly, White, Odegaard, Norgaard, Merino, Martinelli, Dowman

There are two games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Fulham (14:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Newcastle United v Arsenal (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Kick-off times BST

Follow Aston Villa v Fulham here

And Newcastle v Arsenal can be found here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Aston Villa v Fulham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Newcastle v Arsenal".

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

This has become a bit of a grudge match since Newcastle's controversial win at St James' Park in 2023.

Arsenal have lost on their past three visits but even a draw might not help them much this time, because they cannot afford to fall any further behind Liverpool at the top of the table.

So, Mikel Arteta really needs a win, but how will he approach this? Does he regard Newcastle as a top side and, if so, will he play his robust midfield trio again in the middle of the park?

He seems to be quite negative and defensive in games like this, and I think it is a legitimate question to ask if Arsenal can win the Premier League by being that cautious.

Arteta really needs to go for it more. I am finding Newcastle difficult to predict because they do not score many goals, but they are still hard to beat.

There are a few reasons why I am backing Arsenal - Bukayo Saka is fit again and, if Eze starts as well, they will carry a real threat. They have got Gabriel Martinelli too - but what happens here is really down to Arteta.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Newcastle United host Arsenal on Sunday in a battle of the two best defensive sides in the Premier League so far this season.

The Gunners have conceded just two goals in five league matches, while Eddie Howe's side have recorded a league-high four clean sheets so far.

BBC Sport examines who is best equipped to breach their opponent's defences before the meeting at St James' Park.

Newcastle's search for goals

The Magpies have the lowest expected goals tally against of any side (Arsenal are in second) in the Premier League this season but while Mikel Arteta's Gunners are also scoring freely, Eddie Howe's men are struggling to find the back of the net in the league.

The overriding factor has been the protracted departure of Alexander Isak, who scored 23 goals and provided six assists in last season's Premier League, meaning he was directly involved in more than 40% of Newcastle's goals in the competition, scoring 33.85% of them.

Isak was replaced with the signings of Brentford forward Yoane Wissa and Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade, but Wissa was injured on international duty with DR Congo and will not feature for several weeks.

Woltemade scored on debut in the 1-0 win over Wolves, but Anthony Gordon was preferred as a false nine to start the Champions League defeat by Barcelona.

The Magpies did put four past League One leaders Bradford City at St James' Park on Wednesday, courtesy of two goals from young Danish striker William Osula to begin their Carabao Cup defence.

Woltemade started on the bench in midweek but will surely return to the starting XI on Sunday.

Newcastle's tally of three goals after five games is their third fewest at this stage of a Premier League season, behind 2005-06 (one) and 2015-16 (two), while their finishing this season is among the worst in the division.

However, should their attack start to click in the league in conjunction with their defensive solidity, they will prove a stern test for Arsenal.

Arsenal's set-piece threat

The Gunners represent a familiar threat to last season in terms of their own resolute defence and an attack built around scoring from set-plays.

Arsenal have scored 10 Premier League goals this season, ranking them joint second overall, while their expected goals tally of 3.5 from set-pieces is the highest in the competition.

The north Londoners also won in the EFL Cup in midweek, with Eberechi Eze scoring his first goal for the club in the victory at League One Port Vale.

Arteta has had to manage injury issues in this campaign - the loss of Noni Madueke during the 1-1 draw at Manchester City last weekend meant that Arsenal have sustained an injury in every Premier League game so far - although the highest net spend in the league of nearly £250m over the summer means his squad is well equipped to deal with any absences.

Arteta will still prefer as many of his big-hitters to be available as possible to travel to Tyneside given Arsenal's recent record in this fixture.

Newcastle have won their past three home games against his side without conceding a goal - they could win four in a row at home to the Gunners for the first time since the 1960s.

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra commentary of Newcastle v Arsenal at 16:30 BST on Sunday

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle midfielder Joelinton says he and his team-mates "are professional" and not letting the outside noise around Alexander Isak's departure affect their season.

The Brazil international hopes everyone can now move on from the saga - that dragged on all summer - and focus on bedding in new additions Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa.

"We came back to the club to do our best," said Joelinton. "We had a good pre-season.

"We know the noise around, but we are professional. We kept the focus and do what we have to do on the pitch, and everyone has done well.

"We wish Alex the best. He did well for the club. Now he's gone and we have to focus on the players that are here in the squad and keep going.

"They [Woltemade and Wissa] are both great players with a lot of quality and are going to add a lot to the squad.

"Nick is doing well so far. Wiss is unlucky to pick up the injury, but we hope he's going to recover quickly.

"We believe in ourselves and know we can play against anyone.

"When he starts to play, we will try to help him and hope he settles quickly and scores a lot of goals for us."

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

A lot has changed at Newcastle United.

It is approaching four years since Eddie Howe took charge of his first game on the touchline against Arsenal.

There is likely to only be one survivor from his starting line-up that afternoon when the teams meet on Sunday - and that is Joelinton, who has since been reborn as a combative midfielder.

As well as an overhaul in personnel, there has been a real shift in mentality - not least in this fixture.

Newcastle previously had an awful record against Arsenal, but Howe's team have won five of the past nine meetings and often found a way to get under the skin of Mikel Arteta's side.

There has been needle in these matches and rather than downplaying that edge, Howe has long told his players they play better when they hit that "sweet spot".

Newcastle will certainly need to be aggressive at St James' Park on Sunday.

"It's always been competitive against Arsenal in the games that I've been here," said Howe.

"There has been an edge to those games because both teams are desperate to win. We encourage that. The more competitive we are, the better we play - so we need to bring that side of our game.

"We have players that really respond to that type of game."

It would, therefore, be a surprise if veterans Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn did not come back into the side after the pair were rotated midweek, while Jacob Murphy is also in contention to feature as he continues to manage an Achilles issue.

The trio are among those who know what it takes to get a result against Arsenal – and Newcastle will certainly need that know-how at the weekend.

• Get news alerts about your Premier League club

Melissa Edwards
BBC Sport journalist

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Arsenal at St James' Park (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• There are no major injuries following Newcastle's Carabao Cup victory over Bradford City on Wednesday, but there are a "couple of players to check" on before Sunday.

• Jacob Murphy is fit and available to face Arsenal after missing out on the midweek squad, but the Magpies are "manging his workload" as he battles an ongoing Achilles tendon issue.

• Meanwhile, Jacob Ramsey's recovery is going "really well" after he sustained an injury against Leeds last month, with his return set for the other side of the next international break in October.

• Howe said record signing Nick Woltemade cannot be compared to recent number nines at Newcastle because he has a "different profile", but the Magpies boss is "really impressed" with the start he has made.

• On facing Arsenal: "It's always been competitive against Arsenal in the games that I've been here, and there has been an edge to those games because both teams are desperate to win. We encourage that. The more competitive we are, the better we play - so we need to bring that side of our game."

• Howe has won his past three home games against the Gunners but said he will not be thinking about that this weekend and only sees it as a "fresh game and fresh opportunity to impress".

• He added: "We draw a line under the past. The past is irrelevant but you need to take whatever confidence you can so we'll look to do that, but Arsenal are a good team."

Listen to more from Howe on BBC Sounds

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to commentary of Newcastle v Arsenal on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra at 16:30 on Sunday

Newcastle are among the clubs keeping an eye on the situation of France midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 22, as he considers an exit from Real Madrid. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Joelinton spoke to BBC Radio Newcastle after Wednesday's EFL Cup victory over Bradford City: "I enjoyed myself - not only because I scored two goals, but the performance in general was very good. It gives us the confidence to push on.

"It has been a difficult start to the season for me. I hope I can keep going, be injury-free and play my best football.

"Like the Premier League and Champions League, [the EFL Cup] is very important for us. We want to attack every competition and win every game.

"We now focus on the Premier League again. I am very excited [to play Arsenal] - we had great games against them last season."

Hear more from Joelinton on BBC Sounds