Newcastle’s coach admits 'unable to defend against Arsenal’s corner kicks'

Coach Eddie Howe openly identified the cause behind Newcastle losing points to Arsenal at St James’ Park.

In the Premier League’s round 6 highlight match, Newcastle took the lead thanks to Nick Woltemade’s goal but were dominated by Arsenal in the second half. Mikel Merino equalized in the 84th minute following a set-piece corner routine from Declan Rice. Just when the game seemed destined for a draw, Gabriel Magalhaes rose high to head in a stoppage-time corner, completing a spectacular comeback for Arsenal.

Before the decisive goal, goalkeeper Nick Pope kicked the ball but it was intercepted and went out for a corner, which proved costly. However, Coach Eddie Howe insisted the blame should not fall on the keeper. “This is a typical example of people only judging after the match. On the field, players have just seconds to make decisions. Nick played very proactively today and made several crucial saves,” Howe stated.

Nevertheless, he admitted his players failed in their defensive duties. “We should have defended better on that corner. It was one of the final moments of the game and a critical blow; Arsenal are extremely dangerous from set pieces.” the English manager shared.

Howe pointed out that both goals conceded originated from set-piece situations, albeit in different ways, signaling a warning. “They were different but had the same root cause. Clearly, we did not perform well individually or as a team,” he commented.

The Newcastle coach also acknowledged the team endured immense pressure from Arsenal’s corners throughout the match. “We stood firm against many similar situations, but the final corner broke us down,” Howe concluded.

With this defeat, Newcastle missed the chance to improve their ranking, while Arsenal continued their impressive form, closing the gap to Liverpool to just 2 points, reigniting hopes of competing for the Premier League title.