Following opposing evenings in the EFL Cup, Newcastle United and Arsenal will make their Premier League comeback on Saturday night with a thrilling match at St. James’ Park.
West Ham United defeated the Gunners 3-1 in the fourth round to end their knockout run, while the Magpies easily defeated holders Manchester United 3-0 on Wednesday night.
Manchester United lost their hold on the title to an inspired Newcastle, who carried out their revenge mission after their previous Wembley woes and recorded their best away win at Man United in 93 years. Newcastle was a far cry from the team they were during February’s EFL Cup final, where Erik ten Hag ended his team’s six-year trophyless streak.
A familiar sense of doom and gloom pervaded Old Trafford as Eddie Howe’s team set up a tantalizing quarter-final matchup against Chelsea and ended their two-game winless streak after losing to Borussia Dortmund and drawing 2-2 with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Goals from Miguel Almiron, Lewis Hall, and Joe Willock.
Newcastle gave up two narrow leads, both via Callum Wilson, to accept a point at Molineux, seemingly feeling the sting of their recent Champions League exploits. With 10 games played, the Magpies are now sixth in the table with 17 points.
Howe’s team is currently ranked outsiders for Champions League qualification, though, as five points ahead of the Magpies, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston Villa are playing a thrilling five-team race for a spot at Europe’s elite table.
But with Newcastle having won their last three Premier League games, the hosts are more than capable of undermining Arsenal’s title hopes while elevating their own dreams of glory.
Arsenal hasn’t added another EFL Cup to their impressive trophy collection since 1993. Their agonizing wait for mid-season success will also continue because of a poor performance at the London Stadium, where they were pushed off the field by a fervent West Ham team.
Two of the Hammers’ goals were undoubtedly the result of luck; Ben White’s own goal would have been disallowed for Tomas Soucek’s shirt pull on Aaron Ramsdale, and on the hour mark, Jarrod Bowen’s deflected effort would have fooled Aaron Ramsdale.
The Gunners, who have now lost a home game this season, were left with no consolation until Martin Odegaard’s last-minute goal. In between those two goals, though, Mohammed Kudus’s opening touch and bottom-corner drive was a thing of beauty.
As Mikel Arteta’s team competes for Premier League and Champions League glory, many will undoubtedly argue that an early exit is a blessing in disguise. The Gunners’ 5-0 annihilation of Sheffield United last weekend guaranteed that they would remain unbeaten ten games into the new top flight season, placing them second in the standings, only behind Spurs.
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