‘I think he made a difference to their overall performance’ – Eddie Howe singles out Arsenal star after ‘painful’ Newcastle defeat…

Eddie Howe highlights Arsenal player following ‘painful’ defeat to Newcastle

Eddie Howe praised Arsenal substitute Martin Odegaard after the Gunners secured a late victory against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

Initially, it seemed Arsenal would face another loss at St James’ Park when Nick Woltemade scored for Newcastle in the first half.

However, Arsenal made a remarkable comeback, returning to north London with all three points after scoring two late goals.

Mikel Merino, who came off the bench, equalised before Gabriel netted a dramatic winner deep into injury time from a corner taken by Odegaard.

‘Conceding two late goals at home is painful,’ remarked Newcastle manager Howe. ‘We need to reflect and recognize that we weren’t at our best.

‘There was no lack of effort, but from a footballing perspective, we fell short. The key issue was the number of corners we allowed them.

‘I believe Odegaard significantly impacted their overall performance. The pressure eventually took its toll. We showed no lack of effort, but the finer details cost us.’

Before their match at St James’ Park, Arsenal had already dropped five points and were at risk of missing the opportunity to capitalize on Liverpool’s loss to Crystal Palace while trailing Newcastle.

Nonetheless, this thrilling comeback positions Mikel Arteta’s team second in the Premier League after six matches, just two points behind the reigning champions, Liverpool.

In response to Arsenal’s win over Newcastle, Arteta stated: ‘I believe we fully earned the victory. Our performance, play, and competitiveness justified it.

‘The chances we created warranted a win. We achieved it in a dramatic fashion, but we deserved the victory.

‘This is how you elevate to a different level—by navigating through such moments and learning from them.

‘It was a significant opportunity to make a statement and demonstrate to everyone, including ourselves, the caliber of our team.