Arsenal's Wasted Chances Haunt Them Against Newcastle

The signs are getting difficult to ignore for Arsenal. Whether it is the sight of a No. 14 beating defenders at will and scoring the opening goal, or Anthony Gordon actually invoking Thierry Henry's corner flag celebration when doubling Newcastle United's advantage, reminders of the value of an iconic centre-forward were everywhere on Tuesday evening.

On a less abstract level, Arsenal's finishing at Emirates Stadium was awful, their profligacy a major contributing factor to a 2-0 home defeat which leaves Newcastle firm favourites to progress from this two-legged Carabao Cup semifinal.

The fact they were shown how to do it by Alexander Isak, a player they have tracked for a long time and continue to monitor, only brought the point even closer to home. Isak obviously has a long way to go to match Henry's status in the game, but on current form, he might be the best forward in England and arguably beyond.

Newcastle's Clinical Edge

Newcastle's clinical edge was on show from the start, with Isak opening the scoring with a smart finish after being set up by Jacob Murphy. The 25-year-old then doubled the lead six minutes into the second half, collecting Murphy's pass in the box and getting a shot away which David Raya could only parry into Gordon's path.

Arsenal's Missed Chances

Arsenal's finishing was awful, with Gabriel Martinelli hitting the post just before the half-hour mark and Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhães having shots blocked either side of Isak's opener. The most astounding miss came at 2-0 when Trossard's right-wing cross was deflected into Havertz's path. Somehow, almost in slow motion, Havertz failed to connect cleanly with the looping ball, shouldering the ball agonisingly wide of Martin Dúbravka's left-hand post.

Newcastle Shut the Game Down

Newcastle withdrew Isak for the final 25 minutes due to a tight hamstring, shutting the game down through a series of changes that left them playing something approximating a 5-5-0 formation as Arsenal gradually ran out of ideas.

Arsenal's Wastefulness

Scratching the surface only underlines Arsenal's wastefulness. For all their opportunities, from 23 shots, they managed just three on target and only one of those came from open play.

The Next Game

Arsenal will now look to bounce back in the Premier League when they take on Aston Villa on Saturday, while Newcastle will look to complete the job in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal at St James' Park on Thursday night.