Hits and misses: Arsenal freeze, Wilson runs hot

Arsenal freeze with their season on the line

If you had been living on the moon for the Premier League season and your first game was Newcastle vs Arsenal there would have been no doubts in your mind which side had everything to play for and which side were done for the season. Newcastle were chasing Champions League football, yes? That was the overriding impression on a night where Arsenal completely froze when the pressure was on. It was a nothing performance from Mikel Arteta's men.

To create an expected goals tally of just 0.4 - their lowest return since August when thrashed by Manchester City - was staggeringly inept. Even with the game at 1-0 with 30 minutes remaining and their season on the line, the response from Arsenal was unimaginative and soaked with panic. Good teams at this level have the ability to create periods of sustained pressure on an opposition through clever and well-rehearsed patterns of play. It's something Arsenal have managed on multiple occasions this season but for whatever reason, that went missing at St James' Park.

"I don't know why we're not doing what the coach is asking for us," Granit Xhaka said in the aftermath to Sky Sports.

It has been a demoralising and shocking turnaround for the Gunners, who this time last week were firmly in control of fourth place thanks to a four-point lead over Spurs with just three matches left to play. Seven days can be a long time in football.Lewis Jones

Newcastle have hardly struggled since Eddie Howe took charge in November, but the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool and 5-0 thrashing at Manchester City in their previous two matches gave the impression the Magpies were on the metaphorical beach as the season neared an end with their relegation troubles in the past.