Arsenal And Mikel Arteta Have Learnt Their Lesson In Title Race

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 28: Gabriel of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St James’ Park on September 28, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

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Arsenal had just equalized against Newcastle, but Declan Rice did not waste time celebrating.

The England international exchanged a quick hug with goalscorer Mikel Merino, before motioning his teammates back towards the centre circle.

At 1-1 with seven minutes left to play, Rice believed there was still time for Arsenal to leave St. James’ Park with all three points.

Commentating on the game for Sky Sports, Gary Neville made a similar point.

“Teams that win the title go on and win this game now,” he said.

An eight-time Premier League title winner under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Neville knows the importance late goals can have in a title race more than most.

And Arsenal duly obliged, Gabriel heading in the winner in the sixth minute of injury time, the final twist in a game that provided enough drama to match the Ryder Cup singles at Bethpage Black on Sunday.

The significance of Arsenal’s win was two-fold.

Its immediate impact was to cut Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League table to two points after their perfect start to the season came to an end against Crystal Palace a day earlier.

The Reds had scored the winner past the 80th minute mark in six of their previous eight games in all competitions this season and found the net 87 minutes in at Selhurst Park, with Federico Chiesa looking to have rescued a point.

This time, however, there was not late winner forthcoming. Or rather there was, but for Palace, with former Arsenal man Eddie Nketiah rifling in the winner in the seventh minute of injury time.

Arsenal began the day five points adrift of Liverpool, whom they lost to at Anfield last month, and did not look ready to make the most of their rivals’ slip-up.

The Gunners were denied what appeared to be a stonewall penalty after Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope fouled Viktor Gyökeres.

Jarred Gillett initially pointed to the spot, only for VAR to intervene much to Mikel Arteta’s disgust.

Pope, who had saved smartly from Leandro Trossard earlier, was adjudged to have touched the ball before clattering into Gyökeres and Newcastle were handed a reprieve.

To compound matters further, Nick Woltenmade then headed in the opener after seemingly nudging Gabriel in the back.

This, in a way, felt like typical Arsenal under Arteta.

Wilting against a more physical opposition in the face of adversity, chances going begging along with the opportunity to close the gap from Liverpool.

How Arsenal flipped the script against Newcastle

The scene was set for Arteta to launch into another post-match rant against the officials.

But just as a fourth consecutive defeat at St. James’ Park loomed, Arsenal filpped the script instead, Merino heading in the equalizer, before Gabriel thundered in the winner.

For the second time in two weeks, Arsenal salvaged the game late on after Gabriel Martinelli came off the bench to score a 93rd minute equalizer at home against Manchester City.

What could have been a six-point chasm from Liverpool has been cut down to just a two-point gap.

If the win was extremely important, the manner of the victory even more so.

“To win in the manner that we have done it, wow, what a feeling,” Arteta told BBC Sport’s Match of the Day show.

“Football is about emotion and going through things and today we had a beautiful one at the end of the match.

“That is how you get to a different level. By going through those moments and take those lessons from it.

“It was a massive opportunity to make a statement and to prove to everybody and ourselves the team that we are.”

Second in each of the past three seasons, Arsenal have developed a reputation as nearly men under Arteta.

The Gunners squandered an eight-point lead over City in the 2022-23 campaign and racked up 89 points the following term, the third-most by second-placed team in the history of the Premier League.

The big prize, however, has remained frustratingly elusive.

Arsenal’s new-found mentality

Defeat against Liverpool in August had brought criticism upon Arteta for a defensive mindset, with similar questions asked of the Spaniard after the draw against City when he left Eberechi Eze, a summer signing from Crystal Palace for £67.5m ($90.6m), out of the starting line-up.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher questioned Arteta’s approach and warned Arsenal it could cost them a shot at a first Premier League title since 2004.

“Time after time, when it comes to these big games he picks a team that feels like he is thinking more about the opposition,” he said of the Arsenal manager.

“That does not mean you cannot win the Premier League, Jose Mourinho won it three times and he was a little bit like that.

“It is just a recurring pattern season after season and if you are Arteta and an Arsenal supporter, you just have to hope that does not cost you at the end of the season as they are a brilliant team with a fantastic squad, but the margins are so small.”

Against Newcastle, Arteta was far more cavalier in his substitutions, introducing Merino in place of Riccardo Calafiori and then bringing on Martin Odegaard for Martin Zubimendi shortly before the equalizer.

Arsenal’s total spending this summer could exceed £270m ($365m) if all the potential add-ons are triggered, comfortably surpassing the £199.3m ($269.4m) they spent two seasons ago.

In the past five years, only Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea have spent more on transfers than the Gunners, who still only have one FA Cup to show for their financial largesse.

But this summer Arsenal appear to have finally acquired something that can’t be quantified in transfer fees nor release clauses – resilience and a winning mentality.

The season, of course, has only begun and Arsenal are still behind Liverpool, but the early signs are this is a more mature team than its predecessors.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Arteta said on Saturday.

““That’s what football is all about. When you get what you deserve at the end there’s no better feeling. I’m so proud of the team and the way we controlled our emotions and navigated through the different stages of the game.

“We showed the conviction, the courage the desire and the quality we need to get where we want to be.

“To get to the next level you have to learn from the past.”

Arsenal, it would seem, have done some learning.