The Gunners lost at St James’ Park

FA Premier League

NEWCASTLE UNITED 1 (Gordon 64)
ARSENAL 0

ARSENAL have called for “urgent” action to be taken on refereeing standards in the Premier League following their 1-0 defeat at St James’ Park on Saturday.

Anthony Gordon’s second-half strike settled matters but only after a four-minute VAR check to analyse three big talking points with the goal: whether the ball went out of play in the build up, a potential foul by Joelinton and an offside decision on Gordon.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was fuming after the final whistle, saying that the decision to allow the goal was “embarrassing” and a “disgrace”.

And in an unprecedented statement for the club, the Arsenal hierarchy have backed their manager and doubled down on calls to improve the standard of officiating seen in the top-flight.

“Arsenal Football Club wholeheartedly supports Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors on Saturday evening,” the statement read.

“We’d also like to acknowledge the huge effort and performance from our players and travelling supporters at St James’ Park.

“The Premier League is the best league in the world with the best players, coaches and supporters, all of whom deserve better. PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) urgently needs to address the standard of officiating and focus on action which moves us all on from retrospective analysis, attempted explanations and apologies.

“We support the ongoing efforts of chief refereeing officer, Howard Webb, and would welcome working together to achieve the world-class officiating standards our league demands.”

The game itself proved a feisty affair which exploded in the first half when Kai Havertz escaped a red card for a wild lunge on Sean Longstaff. Newcastle were equally lucky that Bruno Guimaraes wasn’t sent off after catching Jorginho with his forearm off-the-ball.

It was somewhat fitting of the match that when the only goal did finally arrive it only added to the bad tempered atmosphere that surrounded the game. David Raya missed Joe Willock’s cross, leaving Gordon to pounce from close range after a tangle between Joelinton and Gabriel at the far post.

It condemned Arsenal to their first Premier League defeat of the season, one that left Arteta raging. He said: “There’s so much at stake, we put in so many hours. I am here to represent the football club and get my team to compete at the highest level possible. The margins are so small. It’s a disgrace, it’s embarrassing. That’s how I feel and how everyone feels in that dressing room.

“You cannot imagine the amount of messages I got saying this cannot continue. It’s embarrassing. I have to be here now to say it is not acceptable.

“I don’t know how to feel. I am wasting my time. We are wasting our time. I don’t want to be in the hands of people. It’s difficult enough to compete against this team. It cannot continue. It’s embarrassing. There’s too much at stake. The consequences are too big.”

Newcastle: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Lascelles, Burn (Livramento, 45), Guimaraes, Longstaff, Joelinton, Almiron (Murphy, 63), Murphy (Ritchie, 80), Gordon, Wilson (Willock, 62)
Substitutes not used: Dubravka, Dummett, Krafth, Hall, Miley

Arsenal: Raya, White (Zinchenko, 73), Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Rice, Jorginho (Vieira, 79), Havertz, Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah (Trossard, 79)
Substitutes not used: Ramsdale, Kiwior, Cedric Soares, Elneny, Nelson, Hein