Date: 17th May 2022 at 5:30pm
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Arsenal lost potentially fatal ground in the top four hunt as an own goal from Benjamin White and another from Bruno Guimaraes secured Newcastle a 2-0 win in the Premier League on Monday.

The Gunners had their fate in their own hands before this match and blew it to shreds with an atrocious performance nowhere near worthy of UEFA Champions League qualification. The Gunners needed two wins from their final games to seal the fourth spot but have handed the initiative to arch-rivals Tottenham heading into the final matchday of the season.

Mikel Arteta‘s men now need a miracle on Sunday and they will be eagerly hoping for Norwich City to record an improbable win over Tottenham. In addition, the Gunners will have to beat Everton to clinch the fourth spot. But as things stand, Arteta’s men will likely play Europa League football next season.

Here are the Arsenal player ratings from the game St. James’ Park…

Aaron Ramsdale: 4/10

Ramsdale seems to have lost his mojo of being a calming presence at the back, as he was nowhere near that. His distribution was terrible as the ball always found an opposition player who recycled it and started a new attacking move. Three solid saves may have saved his face, but this was not worthy of big game performance.

Takehiro Tomiyasu: 4/10

Tomiyasu struggled against Saint-Maximin for pace and got constantly beaten by the Frenchman. Like the entire Arsenal side, the otherwise robust defender looked far from his solid self. He was withdrawn in the second half with a hamstring injury.

Ben White: 3.5/10

A night to forget for Ben White, who looked nervy from start to finish and made several mistimed errors that may have proved costly. His passing proved problematic, and some of his risky moves always came back to haunt him. He was absolutely terrorized by Callum Wilson all evening and it showed as he under pressure from Wilson in the build-up to the opening goal before the defender tucked away Joelinton’s cross to score the own goal.

Gabriel Magalhaes: 5/10

Gabriel was a surprise starter aftermaking a quick recovery from his injury. But he did not last the whole game as Arteta sacrificed defensive solidity in search of goals. The Brazilian defender was involved in many shaky moments and he too failed to deal with the threat and energy provided by Callum Wilson.

Nuno Tavares: 5/10

Tavares should not just be remembered for the foul throw, as the left-back was not the problem on the evening. He defended well against Almiron and tried to get forward at every opportunity. Some of his runs caused problems for Newcastle.

Mohamed Elneny: 3/10

Elneny produced his worst performance in the recent good run, with Newcastle overrunning him in midfield, meaning the Egyptian never played anything forwards. He was tidy for the most part, but constant pressure from the Newcastle midfielders harmed his game.

Granit Xhaka: 4/10

Newcastle forced the issue on Arsenal’s midfield from the start, which pushed Xhaka deeper in his territory and impacted his ability to progress the ball. The former Arsenal captain had no control over the midfield area and struggled with Newcastle’s high press.

https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1526477621898321921

Martin Odegaard: 3/10

If this game was a test of character, Odegaard failed to show he has the mentality to perform in a big game like this. He mustered just five passes in the first half, which showed why Arsenal were toothless in the attack, as those two things are co-related.

Bukayo Saka: 5/10

Bukayo Saka cannot influence games all by himself, and without Odegaard’s support, the winger was ineffective for the most part. He tried to make things happen from the wide areas, but beyond that, there is nothing he could have done without any meaningful support from his creative teammates or right-back.

Eddie Nketiah: 5/10

Nketiah had the energy and stamina to run non-stop, but he kept chasing the ball without any meaningful purpose. He had a few decent opportunities but suffered without any service from those around him.

Emile Smith Rowe: 3/10

Smith Rowe never got into the game, and it was a surprise he even came out for the second period. Maybe it was a tactical mistake from Arteta to include him from the start, as Gabriel Martinelli would have been a more logical selection for a high-intensity game such as this.

SUBSTITUTES

Cedric Soares: 4/10

Cedric replaced the injured Tomiyasu, and he should have combined in his usual way with Saka and Odegaard. He did nothing worthwhile after coming on and floated around.

Gabriel Martinelli: 5/10

Martinelli immediately added a spark to the attack as Arsenal desperately searched for an equaliser. But some of his decision-making from promising areas was dreadful, although he had more desire than any of his teammates.

Alexandre Lacazette: 3/10

Lacazette came on with a considerable period left to play and barely got a sniff of the ball. But the lack of service made his job difficult.

Nicolas Pepe: 3/10

A dreadful pass that could have cost Arsenal was Pepe’s only notable contribution after coming on.

AND in other news, this £49.5m-rated “genius” ace can be Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas 2.0 – opinion…

 

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