Arsenal reclaim top spot in Premier League following tense victory against Newcastle

Following a tough spell where they dropped a strong position at the top of the Premier League, Arsenal came under significant pressure to recover in this encounter.

Eberechi Eze unleashed the first real threat with a curling left-footed attempt from just outside the penalty area that skimmed wide of the post, serving as a signal that Newcastle overlooked.

Arsenal supporters jeered a short corner, grown used to scoring from dead balls this campaign, yet the crowd fell silent as the clever play culminated in Eze rifling the ball into the upper left corner following a setup from Kai Havertz.

Newcastle struggled to create clear opportunities during the opening 45 minutes, though Sandro Tonali nearly restored parity with a powerful right-footed shot from 30 yards that bent sharply at the end and nearly deceived David Raya, who responded with an agile one-handed stop to maintain the home sides advantage.

A potential injury to Kai Havertz before the vital closing stages of the season, including a UEFA Champions League semi-final midweek, marred the period for Mikel Arteta, though he would have been relieved to enter the interval in front despite his team losing momentum after Eze opening the scoring.

Eze picking up a knock just ten minutes into the second half compounded Artetas troubles, and with Arsenal still finding it hard to establish dominance, fears mounted that they might relinquish their advantage.

With twenty minutes remaining, Arsenal faced a pivotal moment, the slim margin creating an air of anxiety within the Emirates Stadium.

Coming on as a replacement, Gabriel Martinelli sought to calm the tension by blasting a shot from the boxes edge, only for Sven Botmans imposing presence to intercept it before it could trouble Nick Pope.

The anxiety nearly proved founded ten minutes before the end when Nick Woltemade lofted the ball beyond the Arsenal backline to an unguarded Yoane Wissa, whose volley sailed above the crossbar.

Dan Burn nearly snatched a last-gasp equaliser with a header directly into Raya hands from the back post, marking Newcastles ultimate major opportunity.

Yet another shaky performance from Arsenal raised further doubts about their championship potential, even as this result extended their lead at the top to three points.

Newcastles fourth loss in a row carries little weight for a team drifting towards a middle-of-the-pack conclusion to their campaign.