5 fatal flaws that mean Arsenal are set to miss out on the Champions League again

Arsenal look as though they'll need to wait another year to end their wait for Champions League football after losing at Newcastle United on Monday night.

After a goalless first half, Ben White's own goal put the Magpies in front before Bruno Guimaraes secured the points for Eddie Howe's side. It means the Gunners' only hope of Champions League football is if they beat Everton on the final day of the season and rivals Tottenham Hotspur lose to bottom-of-the-table Norwich City.

A run of four straight wins had put Mikel Arteta's side in pole position for fourth place, only for defeats against Tottenham and Newcastle - coupled with Spurs' narrow victory over Burnley - to give Antonio Conte's men the upper hand. There have been a number of factors behind Arsenal's likely failure to clinch a top-four finish, and Mirror Football has taken a look at five of the key reasons they look set to miss out.

Arsenal fans will point to certain refereeing decisions going against them over the course of the season, but there have been occasions where they haven't helped themselves. The example which stands out most prominently is Rob Holding's sending-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but it's not the only one.

Holding's dismissal came for the kind of challenge you can't afford to get wrong when already on a booking. The same goes for Gabriel's dismissal against Manchester City on New Year's Day - a decision which BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand branded "stupid".

"This is where the stupidity enhances itself," Ferdinand said of Gabriel's second booking against City after the Brazilian had gone into the book moments earlier for scuffing up the penalty spot. "[Opponent Gabriel Jesus] is not going in on goal, he's not a threat,