Magpies into top 4 as Gunners fall
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Arsenal suffered its second home defeat by a promoted side this season when it was beaten 0-1 by a Newcastle United team which climbed into the English Premier League's top four on the back of its shock victory in London yesterday.
Arsenal was stunned 2-3 at The Emirates by West Bromwich Albion in September and though it had most of the possession and hit the bar twice yesterday it lacked the killer instinct against a team it last lost at home to nine years ago.
The goal came in the last minute of the first half when Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski was out-jumped by Andy Carroll, allowing the in-form striker's header to loop into an empty net.
Arsenal's bad day was completed when defender Laurent Koscielny was shown a straight red card for a last-man foul.
Defeat was a real setback for Arsenal, which had hoped to gain ground on leader Chelsea, which had a tough trip to Anfield later yesterday.
Chelsea has 25 points to the 23 of Manchester United, which beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 on Saturday. Arsenal has 20 with Newcastle and Manchester City, which was visiting West Bromwich Albion later, both on 17.
On Saturday, with the clock ticking towards full-time Park Ji-sung rescued United with a superb winner to give the ailing home side a fortunate win over Wolves.
The workaholic South Korea midfielder, whose first-half effort had been canceled out by Wolves substitute Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, drifted in from the right in the 93rd minute and planted a shot past helpless keeper Marcus Hahnemann.
It raised the roof at Old Trafford and spared United a sixth draw as it tries and stays on the tail of Chelsea.
United's last-gasp victory was soured, however, by the sight of former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves limping off five minutes into his first start for more than two years.
Elsewhere on Saturday, it was: Bolton Wanderers 4, Tottenham Hotspur 2; Birmingham City 2, West Ham United 2; Blackpool 2, Everton 2; Sunderland 2, Stoke City 0; Fulham 1, Aston Villa 1; and Blackburn Rovers 2, Wigan Athletic 1.
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