Fresh from our mid-season break, we returned to Premier League action on Sunday and claimed a valuable victory as goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe, Mesut Ozil and Alex Lacazette saw off a resolute Newcastle side.
Mikel Arteta had spoken in his pre-match media duties of expecting a low block from the visitors, and that’s exactly what we faced during a frustrating first half.
The Magpies were tightly disciplined and positionally aware, keeping chances to a minimum and posing a threat themselves on the counter.
Indeed, they came close to breaking the deadlock when a corner was chipped to the edge of our area for Sean Longstaff to take aim - and with the ball deflecting off Dani Ceballos, Bernd Leno had to react fast to push it around the post.