“He was f00lish to allow such ball get in between his legs in such a cup game”- Arsenal Legend Thierry Henry angrily slams ONE Arsenal star who was a ‘Hard watch’ and allowed Alexander Isak get a goal against Arsenal again for the second time this season
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Arsenal crumbled to a 2-0 defeat at their home ground in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals against Newcastle. The result sees the Gunners facing a steep hill to climb, with a considerable deficit to recover in the second leg, which will be held at St. James’ Park in February.
The Gunners headed into the tie with some fresh availability boosts, including Kai Havertz, who returned to the starting eleven following illness. Despite that, putting a dent in Newcastle’s form was never going to be easy, as Eddie Howe’s men had registered six wins in their last six across all competitions beforehand.
They faced a flurry of attempts in early proceedings, though this amounted to nothing for Arsenal, and Aleksander Isak eventually punished the hosts with a clinical finish inside the box before half-time.
He almost added another for himself in the opening minutes of the second half with some exceptional close control to manufacture a shot in the final third. While David Raya managed to get a palm to the attempt, it landed in front of Anthony Gordon, who doubled the Magpies’ advantage on the night. It was an exceptional performance by all accounts by the Swede, who has been linked with a move to north London in the meantime.
Despite some fairly valiant efforts, Arsenal ended the match goalless – a rare occurrence at N5. The scoreline may indicate a dominant display from the visiting outfit, but the home side weren’t short of opportunities. They recorded a total expected goals statistic of 3.09, much greater than their opposition’s 1.22, but to no avail.
Havertz, in particular, endured a night to forget. Evidently out of practice after his period on the sidelines, the 25-year-old struggled to find space within Newcastle’s imperious defence. It feels as though the need for new reinforcements in attack is as apparent as ever, and the solution may just be starting right in Arteta’s face.
Dismal Performance from Havertz Against Newcastle
