Newcastle United send strong message to Premier League: Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal match report

Newcastle United made easy work of Champions League chasing Arsenal with a convincing display at St James' Park.

It was a victory that ensured the Magpies have now clocked up their biggest points tally since promotion in 2017 and they go into their final match of the campaign with a sniff of a top 10 finish. Newcastle could not have dreamed of notching 46 points when they lay bottom of the pile back in December.

But while Arsenal dented their chance of getting into the top four with a disjointed display it is Newcastle who have put together Champions League qualification form in 2022. Indeed, it's now 35 points in the bag for Eddie Howe's side, four more than Arsenal, and things bode very well for next season.

The game started at a ferocious pace and in a raucous atmosphere with all four sides of the ground waving flags before kick off in a superb display by Wor Flags. That set United up nicely for their final home encounter and they rose to the occasion in the first half in front of a crowd of 52,274.

Newcastle probed the Gunners after five minutes when Bruno Guimaraes played a long ball over the top of the defence for Callum Wilson but it went straight into the hands of Aaron Ramsdale.

Ramsdale then nearly got himself into trouble when trying to clear on seven minutes but the ball fell kindly for him after Miguel Almiron's block rolled across the face of goal before being cleared. Wilson then won a free-kick after Gabriel's foul on the left-hand side of the penalty area but the set-piece evaded everybody in black and white and curled wide of the target.

A Joelinton shot deflected off an Arsenal defender on 18 minutes to earn Newcastle a corner on the right-hand side. Matt Targett's inswinging delivery was frantically