Howe finally unleashed dream duo as Arteta reaction speaks volumes - 5 things

But, unlike the flat performances they delivered in defeats to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth inside the last fortnight, they were much improved in North London and can count themselves unlucky not to emerge with anything from the game.

Eberechi Eze's stunning strike in the ninth minute ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides but the Magpies missed two gilt edged chances to take something from the game and had more possession and more shots on goal than the Premier League leaders.

Newcastle preyed on Arsenal's nerves but ultimately came up short as they now look nervously over their shoulder in 14th place, eight points clear of the relegation zone, heading into the final four matches of the season after a ninth defeat in 12 league matches. Here are five things we learned from Saturday's defeat to the Gunners.

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As expected, Will Osula led the line for Newcastle having scored in each of their last two matches against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. Within 30 seconds he had a chance to extend that run to three successive games but he somehow kicked the air with his left foot, rather than the ball, after being expertly slid through on goal by Joe Willock's pass.

The nerves inside the Emirates Stadium were palpable in the opening minutes of the match. Had Osula connected with the ball and given Newcastle an early lead, those nerves would have been accentuated and who knows what might have happened - even if the Magpies have blown 25 points from winning positions this season.

But there was a moment in the second half that Newcastle fans have waited to see all season. Osula was replaced by Yoane Wissa and Bruno Guimaraes' return to the starting XI lasted 76 minutes before Nick Woltemade replaced him.

Woltemade and Harvey Barnes were pushed up to play in behind Wissa and for the first time in the Premier League, it felt like we were exposed to what Woltemade and Wissa could do playing together.

Within two minutes we had the answer to that question. Woltemade picked up the ball, drove towards the penalty area and clipped a ball over the top of the Arsenal defence that completely took them out of the game. Wissa rushed on to the ball and somehow blazed his first time volley over the bar from point blank range when it seemed easier to score.

The DR Congo international had to do better but Woltemade's ingenuity with the pass and Wissa's presence of mind to make the run was an exciting glimpse of what the pair can do when they play together.

It hasn't happened nearly enough this season, with the exception of an FA Cup third round clash against Bournemouth, but it has surely given Eddie Howe food for thought in the final four matches of the season.

If you wanted to gauge how relieved Arsenal were to emerge with three points from a game they were arguably second best in for large periods, you need only to have looked to their touchline at full-time.

Head coach Mikel Arteta repeatedly punched the air in delight and looked like the weight of the world had just been taken off his shoulders as he embraced his backroom team.

The Arsenal boss knew his side had been in a game and knew they were lucky to emerge with three invaluable points in their pursuit of the Premier League title.

That should give Howe something to build on as Newcastle look to rediscover the winning formula in their final four matches of the season.

I put the question to Howe in Friday's press conference whether he would revert back to experience for the trip to Arsenal, having named the youngest Newcastle starting XI in the Premier League since May 2005 in last weekend's defeat to Bournemouth.

None of Newcastle's five-man leadership group started that game but four of them - Nick Pope, Dan Burn, Guimaraes and Jacob Murphy - were restored to the line-up and their presence made a difference.

While there was a lack of impetus in possession last week, Guimaraes' return changed that. Burn was a calming presence at the back and put in a dogged performance to keep the Gunners at bay for the majority of the game.

If the balance of the starting XI tipped too much towards youth last weekend, it felt as if it was back to equilibrium on Saturday evening.

Pope regained his place in Newcastle's starting XI in place of Aaron Ramsdale and while he looked solid for the majority of the game, there was one moment which summed up why the Magpies simply have to buy a new goalkeeper this summer.

Ramsdale's save percentage isn't where Newcastle need it to be. Pope is a fantastic shotstopper but has allowed some big errors to creep into his game this season.

The Newcastle goalkeeper made an excellent save from Martin Odegaard's second half effort to remind everyone of those talents but when he rushed out of his goal to clear a ball over the top from the Norway international midfielder, he missed the ball and instead wiped out the onrushing Viktor Gyokeres.

Had Malick Thiaw not been covering behind him, the yellow card he received could well have been a red but it reinforced one of Newcastle's biggest transfer priorities this summer.

Heading into today's game, Newcastle were winless in their last 13 Premier League away games against Arsenal, although they did beat the Gunners 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in last season's Carabao Cup semi-final.

And that run has now extended to 14 matches after the Gunners completed a league double over Newcastle for the first time since 2020/21.