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[Ratings] Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal: Auba clinical, AMN superb, Pepe/Ceballos make debuts

By mac14 on August 11, 2019

Arsenal got the 2019/20 Premier League season off to the perfect start as we beat Newcastle 1-0 at St James’ Park thanks to a lovely strike from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The first half was a cagey affair with few clear-cut chances but Arsenal started well after the break and broke the deadlock in the 58th minute when Aubameyang finished superbly after excellent work from Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

We saw the game out pretty well as Newcastle offered very little threat and Arsenal actually defended our lead very well. Aubameyang was always a threat on the break and we even saw three debuts in the second half with Dani Ceballos, Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Martinelli all coming on as Arsenal held out for a huge 1-0 away win.

Here are my ratings:

Leno 6.5/10 | Tipped a Shelvey effort into the post and made a couple of other routine saves. Nice to keep a clean sheet.

Maitland-Niles 8/10 | Superb. Was solid defensively, made some great tackles and wonderful assist for Aubameyang’s goal. Looked far more comfortable at right-back than at times last season.

Chambers 7.5/10 | Very encouraging performance. Dealt well against the imposing threat of Joelinton and didn’t put a foot wrong. Great to see him starting the season off so well.

Sokratis 7/10 | A fairly comfortable afternoon from the Greek international. Cleared his lines well as we kept Newcastle at bay to secure a rare clean sheet on the road.

Monreal 6/10 | Solid outing from the Spaniard. No problems defensively but was ineffective going forward as he offered little.

Guendouzi 7/10 | Assured performance. Kept possession well in midfield and didn’t give the Newcastle players a minute.

Xhaka 6/10 | His lack of pace and athleticism in midfield continues to be an issue but kept things moving when on the ball. Booked, obviously.

Willock 6/10 | A few excellent moments when in possession but was on the edges of things too often. Played in the No.10 mostly but I still think he’s more effective starting from deeper.

Mkhitaryan 5/10 | Awful first half. Blazed a great chance over and lost possession a staggering 15 times. However, much better after the break when we saw some nice touches.

Nelson 6.5/10 | Took too long on the ball at times but his decision making will get better. Worked hard and was positive on the ball. Direct running gave Newcastle problems at times.

Aubamyenag 7.5/10 | Saw a powerful effort well saved in the first half before scoring the eventual winner with a lovely finish. Such a ruthless finish. He had very little service but still managed to nick a winning goal.

Subs:

Ceballos 5/10 | Looked a little off the pace but understandable. Still showed some neat touches.

Pepe 5/10 | A fairly brief cameo but our record signing still gave glimpses of what’s to come. Looks lively on the ball and movement was good.

Martinelli N/A | On on for a few minutes.

This was an excellent start to the season. We looked solid at the back, despite not having three of our starting back four, and Aubameyang picked up where he left off last year. So much more to come from this Arsenal squad but this was a vital away win and great to keep a clean sheet. Burnley at the Emirates up next…

Watch the highlights and Auba’s goal here too: