Newcastle 1–2 Arsenal: Player Ratings

Newcastle and Arsenal player ratings after a thrilling 2–1 win for the Gunners at St James’ Park, with Gabriel and Merino sealing victory.

The Premier League clash delivered drama, goals, and standout performances, here’s the full Newcastle and Arsenal player ratings and match report. Arsenal pulled off a dramatic late comeback to defeat Newcastle United 2–1 in a thrilling Premier League clash at St James’ Park.

The Gunners trailed for most of the match but turned it around in the final minutes thanks to goals from Mikel Merino and Gabriel Magalhães.

Newcastle went ahead in the 34th minute when Nick Woltemade rose above Gabriel to head home a Sandro Tonali corner. It was a blow to Arsenal, who had earlier thought they’d won a penalty when Viktor Gyökeres went down under Nick Pope’s challenge. The referee pointed to the spot, but VAR overturned the decision after showing Pope got a touch on the ball.

Arsenal dominated possession but couldn’t break down Newcastle’s defense. Pope denied efforts from Timber, Saka, and Eze to keep the Magpies in front.

In the 84th minute, Arsenal finally broke through. Declan Rice delivered a pinpoint cross from a short corner, and substitute Mikel Merino headed in against his former club to level the score.

Deep into stoppage time, Arsenal struck again. Martin Ødegaard whipped in a corner, and Gabriel powered home a header to seal a dramatic 2–1 win for the visitors.

Player Ratings Arsenal

David Raya (6.5): Could do little about the goal, steady performance.

Jurrien Timber (7): Strong defensively, supported attacks well.

Cristhian Mosquera (5): Conceded the corner for the opener, later subbed.

Gabriel Magalhães (7): At fault for Newcastle’s goal, but redeemed himself with the winner.

Riccardo Calafiori (6.5): Energetic down the flank, picked up a booking.

Declan Rice (8): Dominant in midfield, set up the equaliser.

Eberechi Eze (7.5): Creative spark, forced multiple saves from Pope.

Martín Zubimendi (6.5): Controlled possession, created a key chance.

Bukayo Saka (6.5): Looked threatening but was well contained.

Leandro Trossard (6.5): Hit the post and worked tirelessly in attack.

Viktor Gyökeres (6.5): Won the overturned penalty, pressed hard.

Mikel Merino (7.5): Super-sub, scored the equaliser against his old club.

Martin Ødegaard (7): His corner created the match-winning goal.

Final Thoughts

Arsenal showed character and depth to turn the game around late on. Substitutes Merino and Ødegaard made the difference, while Gabriel delivered redemption with the winner.

Newcastle, disciplined for much of the match, will regret missed chances and a costly collapse in stoppage time. The defeat extended their winless run, while Arsenal’s victory lifted them to second place, just two points behind league leaders Liverpool.

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