Arsenal eye Champions League after Newcastle stroll
Arsenal moved four points clear of Everton in the race for the fourth and final Champions League place on offer to Premier League clubs with a convincing 3-0 win over Newcastle United on Monday.
|Last Updated: Apr 29, 2014, 09:08 AM IST|Source: AFP
London: Arsenal moved four points clear of Everton in the race for the fourth and final Champions League place on offer to Premier League clubs with a convincing 3-0 win over Newcastle United on Monday.
A rare strike by Laurent Koscielny opened the scoring at the Emirates Stadium before Mesut Ozil netted for the 10th time this season and Olivier Giroud sealed victory with his 21st goal of the campaign to boost the Gunners` hopes of a 17th successive term in Europe`s premier club competition.
Arsene Wenger`s side now require just one more victory from their final two league matches against either West Bromwich Albion or Norwich City to book their spot.
In truth, visitors Newcastle had goalkeeper Tim Krul to thank for keeping the scoreline respectable as Alan Pardew, back on the touchline after a seven-game absence due to suspension, saw his side suffer a sixth successive league defeat -- the north-east club`s worst run in the English top flight since the 1986/87 season.While followers of fifth-placed Everton were cheering on Newcastle in the hope they could do them a favour, the blue half of Merseyside would be disappointed as Arsenal, with the FA Cup final against Hull City at Wembley on May 17 confined to the back of their minds, dominated throughout.
Arsenal, with Aaron Ramsey and Ozil back in the groove after building up their match-fitness following injuries, looked slicker and sharper and it was little surprise when the north London side took the lead in the 26th minute.
Moussa Sissoko needlessly pulled down Giroud 40 yards out from goal and Santi Cazorla`s pin-point delivery allowed Koscielny to nip in at the back post and flick home for his second goal of the season.
The only negative for the centre-back was the caution he immediately received from referee Neil Swarbrick for booting the ball into the stands, which was deemed to be an excessive celebration.
Arsenal almost doubled their advantage two minutes later when Lukas Podolski saw his effort from an acute angle on the left side of the area turned around the post by Krul`s legs.
Krul came to the rescue once again on the half-hour mark when the Dutch `keeper produced an excellent save to keep out Podolski`s header from point-blank range.
But the second goal was coming, and Arsenal finally gave themselves vital breathing space three minutes before the interval.
Giroud broke Newcastle`s offside trap to latch onto Mikel Arteta`s through ball and the striker was twice denied by Krul only for Ozil to tap home the rebound.
Replays did show that Ozil was in an offside position when he converted, but the goal stood.
Arsenal maintained the pressure early in the second period by creating further chances, Cazorla hitting a volley over the crossbar and Bacary Sagna heading over.
Newcastle, whose supporters began to turn on manager Pardew, could have halved the deficit in the 58th minute when Yoan Gouffran raced clear onto Loic Remy`s pass, but his shot was straight at Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
The misery continued for Pardew as the hosts scored a simple third goal when the unmarked Giroud headed home from six yards from Ozil`s left-wing cross.
That sparked a series of growing chants from the away section of the ground such as "Next excuse, Pardew?" and "Pardew Out" as the pressure increased on the Newcastle manager.
But, for Wenger and Arsenal, this was a good job, well done as they took another major step towards Champions League qualification.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.