Arsenal snatched a dramatic 2-1 away win against Newcastle United on Sunday, courtesy of a late header from Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.2m).
Here’s what we saw at St James’ Park.
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LATE GABRIEL HEADER
A header in the 96th minute by Gabriel saw Arsenal come from behind to beat Newcastle.
The Brazilian, a popular choice for Gameweek 6 Wildcarders, successfully nodded home substitute Martin Odegaard’s (£7.9m) corner.
He also claimed defensive contribution (DefCon) points and the maximum bonus, amassing 13 points in total.
Prior to that, Mikel Merino (£5.9m) connected with a cross from Declan Rice (£6.5m), flicking a precise header into the bottom corner to level it up.
It marked Rice’s third assist of the 2025/26 campaign.
Given their dead-ball dominance, it’s no surprise Arsenal’s expected goals (xG) total of 4.55 from set plays is the highest in the division:
Arsenal face West Ham United next, who have conceded more set-piece goals than any other side this season.
They will have a new manager in the dugout, mind.
Elsewhere, Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m) almost won a penalty and registered six shots. Livelier than in previous away matches, he also created a couple of chances for his teammates.
Eberechi Eze (£7.5m) and Jurrien Timber (£5.8m) were arguably Arsenal’s two best players, however.
Eze was deployed as one of Mikel Arteta’s two attacking midfielders and was twice denied by Nick Pope (£5.0m). As for Timber, he caused real problems on the overlap, combining two shots with three chances created.
WHY SALIBA WAS A SUB
Mikel Arteta sprung a surprise with his starting line-up on Sunday, with Cristhian Mosquera (£5.4m) preferred to William Saliba (£6.0m) at centre-back.
Explaining his decision, the Spaniard said:
“[Saliba] comes from an ankle injury that he is still trying to resolve. We have to manage the squad and that’s why we need players that we can trust and rely on.” – Mikel Arteta
However, with Arsenal 1-0 down and Mosquera struggling, Saliba was sent on at the break.
Bukayo Saka (£9.8m) also continued his comeback from injury with another 69 minutes here.
Discussing his substitutes – Saliba, Merino, Gabriel Martinelli (£6.9m), Odegaard and Myles Lewis Skelly (£5.3m) – Arteta said:
“The ones that are coming in, they really come in fully focused. My duty is to win the game for the team and all of them did it in an incredible manner. Martinelli comes in and it shows from the beginning, his threat. Saliba comes in, 45 minutes and I think it was outstanding. Again, Martin comes in after a long period and delivers two goals that are goals. Mikel Merino comes in which is a massive threat in the box and delivers a winning moment, so credit to all of them.” – Mikel Arteta on his substitutes
TWO IN THREE FOR WOLTEMADE
Nick Woltemade (£7.1m) nodded in the opener at St James’ Park, his second goal in three league matches.
A handful throughout his 66 minutes on the pitch, the German is now set to face a favourable run of opponents.
Indeed, Newcastle sit fifth on our Season Ticker in Gameweeks 7-11 from an attacking perspective.
“That [the Arsenal game] would have been another great learning experience for him because the speed of that game, the physicality of the game, that’s as tough as you’ll get. We know Arsenal are a very strong team with their set-plays, there are loads of different facets of their game that require physicality – ours is very similar. He’ll leave going, ‘Phew, it’s quick, it’s strong’, and you have to bring that yourself to be successful. I thought his goal was a brilliant example of what he can be. But I don’t think, as a team, we particularly fed him well. I don’t think there was a huge number of crosses going into the box. What he did feed off, I thought he did well.” – Eddie Howe on Nick Woltemade
Eddie Howe opted for his usual 4-3-3 formation against Arsenal, with Dan Burn (£5.0m) at left-back, before switching to a back five following Woltemade’s withdrawal.
Anthony Gordon (£7.4m), meanwhile, returned to the Newcastle XI after serving his three-game domestic ban, but overall, the Magpies struggled to create high-quality chances, as reflected in their low 0.43 xG.
LIVRAMENTO INJURY, WHY HALL WAS ABSENT
Tino Livramento (£5.1m), an ever-present starter for Newcastle in the Premier League this season, is likely facing a spell on the sidelines after being stretchered off on Sunday.
After falling awkwardly on his leg, Howe said:
“I’ve got no update to give you other than I know what you know. Seeing him go off in that manner was really distressing, I think, and he’s been such a big player for us in so many different ways, you know, his versatility, his attitude, his quality. If we’re going to miss that for any length of time, that’s going to be a huge blow. I think it’s a knee [injury], yeah.” – Eddie Howe on Tino Livramento
Fellow full-back Lewis Hall (£5.3m) was absent from the squad on Sunday, too.
The 21-year-old started against Bournemouth and Bradford City in the past week, with his omission reportedly precautionary rather than anything injury-related. A return against Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday has even been suggested, which would be a timely boost in light of Livramento’s setback.
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