Magpies Let More Home Points Fly Away

It's been stated over and over and over again because it's true.

St James' Park is host to a sleeping giant.

It's a traditional stadium, loaded every match day with hard-working, hard-partying fans who are totally rabid about their football team.

Who suck. Over and over and over again.

If you're a North American fan, think Chicago Cubs before their renaissance.

 

Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United were still seeking their first Premiership victory of the season when Unai Emery’s Arsenal Gunners came to the Northeast this past weekend.

They're still looking.

Arsenal's 1-2 triumph was always on the cards in this one.

It's a wonder the Gunners didn't insist on using the home team locker room.

In a poor first-half, the Magpies managed to drag Arsenal down to their level. They actually had the better of it, but when Jacob Murphy found an opening to get his side on the board, he couldn't beat Petr Čech:

 

Arsenal gradually gained momentum after that, with their duo Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette constantly causing problems to Martin Dubravka.

They finally broke through in the 49th minute when a stunning free-kick from Granit Xhaka found the top corner:

 

Nine minutes later, Emery’s side doubled the lead.

Mesut Özil picked up the rebound from another Lacazette’s shot:

 

In what's a strange characteristic for this league, the match featured a by-now-familiar consolation stage goal.

 

Who knows? It's just a thing.

Honors -- if you can call it that -- went to the Magpies' Ciaran Clark, with a late header in the 91st minute:

 

With that, Newcastle is where it always seems to be, in danger of relegation.

Again.