Arsenal’s Champions League football hopes took a massive hit with a loss against Newcastle United.
An own goal from Ben White and a late strike from January signing Bruno Guimaraes sealed the win for Newcastle at St. James’ Park.
The loss leaves Arsenal two points off Tottenham in the last Champions League spot with just one game remaining in the Premier League.
A far superior goal difference for Tottenham,27 to Arsenal’s 9, means that they need a single point from their final game against the relegated Norwich to qualify for Europe’s elite competition.
Mikel Arteta’s side faces his former team, Everton, at home at the same time in another tricky fixture.
Everton, fighting to abate relegation fears, has something to fight for against the Gunners.
Newcastle started brightly, roared on by their fans in their last home game of the season.
Eddie Howe’s side were in a relegation scrap at Christmas but after their new owners loosened the purse strings in the January transfer window, have managed to climb up the table and only lost once at home in the league in 2022.
They dominated the match and came close to opening the scoring in the 37th minute through Allan Saint-Maximin, who cut in from the wing but saw his low shot palmed away by goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
The breakthrough came shortly after halftime, however, when Joelinton powered down the left side and sent in a low cross for Callum Wilson only for Arsenal’s White to put it into his own net.
The hosts continued to threaten and finally found their second in the 85th minute when Wilson ran through on goal but the ball ricocheted off Ramsdale into the path of Guimarães who side-footed it in.
The win, Newcastle’s first in the league over Arsenal since April 2018, means Howe’s side moves up to 12th in the standings.
Arsenal’s champions league hopes now lie in the hands of a team at the bottom of the premier league table but stranger things have happened.
