Arsenal suffered a defeat to Newcastle United which dropped them from the Champions League spot to the Europa League spot. Ben White who was making his return to the starting XI after recovering from injury scored his own goal to mark a horrible return. Arsenal’s hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four were dealt a huge blow as they were well beaten by Newcastle at St James’ Park.
Mikel Arteta’s side needed a win to move above Tottenham into fourth and put them in the driving seat to secure a Champions League spot heading into the final weekend of the season. But they were second best throughout and fell behind early in the second half when returning Ben White turned the ball into his net under pressure from Callum Wilson, who was making his first start since 27 December.
Bruno Guimaraes, who has become a cult hero since joining Newcastle United at the start of this year, then rounded off the scoring when he drove into the net as Arsenal struggled to clear the ball. Arsenal offered next to nothing, with Martin Dubravka only really tested once, with a 25-yard Mohamed Elneny shot in the second half.
It was a well-deserved win for Newcastle who won by more with Wilson coming so close to capping a dream return from injury with a stunning long-range effort that dropped just wide of the goal. The result, which also confirmed Chelsea’s finish in the top four, means Arsenal must beat Everton in their final game of the season on Sunday (16:00 BST) and hope Tottenham loses at relegated Norwich.
Newcastle, meanwhile, rounds off a season that encourages the future with a trip to Burnley.