Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle player ratings: Raya and Rice secure Champions League berth for Gunners | OneFootball

Second place in the Premier League was up for grabs when Arsenal entertained Newcastle this afternoon.

Mikel Arteta’s men had long occupied the position and were eventual champions Liverpool’s sternest challengers for a while before tailing off, thus allowing the Magpies an opportunity to usurp them.

Two points separated the sides heading into this penultimate weekend. The Gunners knew that four points from their last two matches would secure them runners-up status for a third consecutive season.

Victory here would all but guarantee second place, with only a visit to relegated Southampton left on their itinerary.

Ultimately, it proved to be a hard-fought Arsenal win, the North Londoners once again indebted to Declan Rice. Though not guaranteed second place, this victory ensures their place in the top five before the final weekend.

As for the Magpies, who remain sitting third, they are part of a group of three teams (alongside fourth-place Chelsea and fifth-place Aston Villa) level on 66 points, with Man City a point back, albeit with a game in hand.

Arsenal player ratings

David Raya: 86%

He picked up a late yellow card for time wasting, but David Raya came to play, making five saves and keeping Arsenal alive when Newcastle were ascendant. However, the Spaniard produced two errors, which led to shots, making his job more difficult.

Myles Lewis-Skelly: 63%

With each passing game, Lewis-Skelly continues to grow in confidence playing as the Gunners’ first-choice left-back. Today’s efforts yielded one successful interception that led to regained possession, plus eight completed passes into the final third—a team high. One blemish was him being dribbled past, but, as they say, it’s a learning curve for the 18-year-old.

Jakub Kiwior: 72%

He will be disappointed with one successful tackle from four attempts, but otherwise, Kiwior (who did receive a yellow card for arguing) didn’t put a foot wrong and even produced 10 clearances, plus an interception inside the penalty area, plus two more that retained possession. He also registered a team-high two blocked shots.

William Saliba: 57%

Making his 100th Premier League appearance in this match. His participation only lasted the opening half, with Riccardo Calafiori coming on for him (after reportedly picking up an injury) to start the final 45 minutes. It was a mixed outing, with the Frenchman posting an impressive 94.3% retention rate and winning possession four times in the defensive third, but he registered a 50% aerial duel success rate and produced an error that led to a shot.

Ben White: 61%

Filling in at right-back again, White was dispossessed in his own half while producing two unsuccessful touches. He did, however, play two successful passes into the penalty area, with no other Arsenal player registering more.

Declan Rice: 74%

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Just when it looked like Newcastle were right in the contest, up popped Declan Rice, who is fast becoming the most integral cog of Arteta’s machine. Both of Rice’s efforts on goal were on target; with this effort, he now scored more goals for Arsenal (16 in 102 appearances) than he did for West Ham (15 in 245 appearances) across all competitions.

Thomas Partey: 65%

A presence in the middle third; no Arsenal player registered more successful tackles (three) than Partey, but the Ghanaian was dribbled past once, only for him to rectify that by winning possession on three occasions in the middle third.

Martin Odegaard: 72%

Odegaard still remains a hot-button topic among Gooners, but the Norwegian playmaker did register another Premier League assist from a total of four chances created. No one representing the Gunners produced more passes into the final third (26) than him, and the Arsenal skipper was quite conservative when it came to dribbling, winning his sole take-on attempt.

Gabriel Martinelli: 57%

Three duels won from 12 attempts was not a good return for Martinelli; neither was one aerial duel success from six. The much-maligned forward ended today’s contest with two shots on goal, but neither was on target, while he failed to win his sole take-on attempt nor create a single goalscoring opportunity for his teammates.

Leandro Trossard: 41%

What a busy game for Trossard, who attempted no fewer than seven dribbles (three more than his teammates combined) but only completed four. From an attacking sense, having once again led Arsenal’s attack as their “false nine,” he finished with one shot on goal, and that wasn’t even on target.

Bukayo Saka: 74%

Another game in which Arsenal’s “star boy” failed to make a difference, with one shot on target from two attempts. Saka also created two scoring opportunities in a 76-minute outing, with one considered a “big chance”.

Newcastle player ratings

Nick Pope: 63%

Another outing without a clean sheet for Pope, who did manage to keep Newcastle in the game with three saves.

Dan Burn: 61%

Picked up a late yellow card for arguing, though Burn had a middling outing in the black-and-white jersey, having committed a team-high three fouls but winning all three of his tackles.

Sven Botman: 59%

Impressive on the ball with his 93.3% retention rate and 96.2% passing accuracy, but Botman did not see out the full 90 minutes as he was taken off just after the hour mark. He successfully blocked a shot and created a big chance while on the pitch, as well as winning possession once in the middle third, which once more illustrated his marauding instincts.

Fabian Schar: 69%

Missed a big chance in the opening half and failed to complete his sole take-on attempt. From a defensive standpoint, though, Schar produced a successful interception inside the penalty area while claiming seven aerial duel wins (with a 70% success rate). His 11 clearances were high among those who featured in today’s game from either side.

Tino Livramento: 67%

Operating as Newcastle’s left wing-back, Livramento showcased his reading of the game with three interceptions; incidentally, only two teammates had more touches in the opposition box. His attacking prowess was shown with one shot on target and a goalscoring opportunity created.

Sandro Tonali: 62%

Nestled as one of the Magpies’ two central midfielders, no one representing Eddie Howe’s team played more successful passes into the penalty area (three) than Tonali, who, despite being dribbled past once, won possession twice in the middle third.

Bruno Guimaraes: 72%

A real standout performance on the losing side from Guimaraes today, who registered a team-high four successful tackles, as well as six passes into the final third completed, nine duels won, and six touches in the opposition box.

Jacob Murphy: 59%

Heading into the contest, Murphy was riding a wave of momentum. The 30-year-old had become a creative force, but positioned as a wing-back, he only created one chance and mustered no attempts on goal. He did, however, complete his sole take-on attempt, but was dribbled past on eight occasions.

Anthony Gordon: 49%

Hasn’t found his groove since coming back from his latest injury, with Gordon registering an eye-watering 16 occasions in today’s game where he surrendered possession. That, coupled with three unsuccessful touches, negates his team-high two successful take-ons completed. It didn’t help that he failed to register a single attempt on goal while creating a single goalscoring opportunity that wasn’t even a big chance.

Harvey Barnes: 56%

No one in a Newcastle jersey posted more shots on goal (three) while Barnes was on the field. He came off with just over 10 minutes remaining, but one attempt on target was not a sufficient return. Elsewhere, positioned as one of two number 10s, the former Leicester City forward was unable to create a single chance or even attempt to beat an opposition player.

Callum Wilson: 46%

Standing in for the imperious Alexander Isak, this was a disappointing cameo from the once-feared Wilson, who couldn’t muster a single attempt on goal. While he did create two scoring opportunities, neither would be classified as a big chance.

How do Squawka player ratings work?

Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.

We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.

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