As Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal travel to face Newcastle, defeat is not the only thing they will be hoping to avoid.
They will also be looking to steer clear of the sarcastic messages directed at their manager’s refereeing rantings after their last Premier League visit.
The Gunners face Eddie Howe’s side in the Premier League on Saturday at 12:30pm, live on talkSPORT.
Arsenal will be desperate to get back to winning ways, having only managed one draw and one defeat in their last two league matches.
But if they are to do so, they will have to avoid a repeat of what happened the last time they were away to the Magpies in the top flight.
Back in November 2023, Arsenal were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Newcastle in a feisty contest at St James’ Park.
In the end it was a game that was decided by a controversial goal, with Anthony Gordon finding the back of the net for the Magpies in the 64th minute.
But the goal had to be checked by VAR for no less than three separate incidents which could have ruled out the goal.
There was a suggestion that the ball went out of play in the build-up, a possible foul on Gabriel before the goal and a potential offside to assess too.
Ultimately though, none of these offences stood.
It was ruled that the goal would stand – handing Newcastle the crucial three points in the end.
With the Gunners unable to get themselves back into the match, the fixture marked one of the just five games that Arteta‘s side would lose all season.
And after the match, the Gunners boss did not mince his words when asked what reflecting on what he had made of the officiating decisions.
“It’s an absolute disgrace, that’s what it is: a disgrace,” Arteta ranted. “There’s so much at stake.
“We’ve put in so many hours to compete at the highest level and you cannot imagine the amount of messages we’ve had saying this cannot continue.
“It’s embarrassing. It’s not acceptable, there’s too much at stake. I don’t want to be in the hands of these people.
“I don’t know how to feel. I’m wasting my time, we are wasting our time.
“It’s an absolute disgrace that it was allowed. For more than one reason it should not be a goal.
“I have been in this country for more than 20 years and (the officiating) is nowhere near the level of the best league in the world. I feel sick to be part of this.”
Not everybody took kindly to Arteta’s angry outburst, with many believing his comments had been a step too far.
Indeed, he was subsequently fined by the FA for what he said – although he was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
But after the match, pundit Gary Lineker had taken to X, then known as Twitter, to express his disapproval of the Arsenal boss, citing some of his specific words.
He wrote: “Mikel Arteta having a proper rant post match, ‘It’s embarrassing. It’s a disgrace.’ “
And he was joined in mocking the manager by fellow pundit and Newcastle legend Shearer.
Replying to Lineker’s comment, Shearer wrote on X: “What was?” as he sarcastically questioned what Arteta had found embarrassing.
His reply drew the ire of Arsenal fans who flooded to social media to give their own response to Shearer.
“Come on @alanshearer let’s not do this,” one fan wrote on X.
Another added: “The ball being out, the foul, the offside… Do you want me to continue????”
A third wrote: “Take your black and white tinted glasses off for a minute Alan.”
Newcastle vs Arsenal is live on talkSPORT from 12:30pm on Saturday 2 November.
