Arsenal's wait for Champions League return likely to continue after 'disaster' against Newcastle

By George Ramsay, CNN

Updated 1146 GMT (1946 HKT) May 17, 2022

Bruno Guimarães scored Newcastle's second goal against Arsenal.

(CNN)If last week's Premier League defeat against Tottenham Hotpsur was damaging, over the course of 90 minutes against Newcastle on Monday, Arsenal's Champions League hopes were all but extinguished.

What really hurts for Arsenal's fans is that before those two games, the club had been shaping up to announce its return to the top of European football. The 2-0 defeat at St James' Park — a performance midfielder Granit Xhaka described as a «disaster» — delivered a huge blow to Arsenal's chances of finishing in the Premier League top four as the Gunners remain two points behind Tottenham with one game left to play. To regain fourth position and qualify for the Champions League, Arsenal will realistically need to beat Everton on Sunday and hope bottom side Norwich — without a win in six Premier League games — can pull off an unlikely victory against Tottenham. But as things stand, Monday's lackluster defeat appears costly. Read More«If someone isn't ready for this game, stay at home,» was Xhaka's withering assessment of his team's showing against Newcastle.«If you're not ready for that, you're nervous, stay on the bench or stay at home, don't come here,» he told Sky Sports. «We need people that have balls — sorry to say that — to come here and to play, because we knew this game is maybe one of the most important games for us.»Newcastle, with little to play for other than cementing mid-table status, dominated the encounter and should have been in front by halftime — the best chance falling to Allan Saint-Maximin after a lively run past Takehiro Tomiyasu. The home side did take the lead 10 minutes into