Substitute Alexandre Lacazette ended his goal drought as Arsenal secured their first Premier League win since New Year's Day with a 4-0 victory over Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Lacazette had gone nine games in all competitions without a goal before he found the target with a mis-hit shot in the final moments of the game.
After a goalless first half, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put the Gunners in front with a powerful header from a Nicolas Pepe cross.
Pepe himself added the second, from close range after good work from Bukayo Saka, and Mesut Ozil got his first of the season with a tap-in.
Lacazette, left on the bench with youngster Eddie Nketiah, finished off a smart move for Mikel Arteta’s side, who recorded just their second win since the Spaniard took over at the club.
One of the revelations of Arteta’s early days in charge has been Saka’s performances as a makeshift left-back.
No Arsenal player has created more goals than the 18-year-old this season and Saka nutmegged Valentino Lazaro before teeing up Pepe to fire home the hosts’ second from close range.
The defeat ended an eight-game unbeaten run for Newcastle.
Spurs win a thriller
Son Heung-min struck a stoppage-time winner after a dreadful error from Bjorn Engels as Tottenham Hotspur won 3-2 at Aston Villa to move up to fifth.
In an enthralling match, Villa went ahead in the ninth minute when Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld turned an Anwar El Ghazi’s cross into his own net.
But the Belgian centre half made amends for that mistake when he fired Tottenham back on level terms with a superb shot on the turn from inside the box.
VAR intervened to award the visitors a penalty after reviewing a challenge on Steven Bergwijn by Villa defender Engels and ruling that he had brought down the Spurs forward.
Son’s weak penalty, after a stuttering approach run, was saved by Pepe Reina but the South Korean was quickest to react as he bundled home the loose ball to send Spurs in ahead at the break.
Then it was the turn of Engels to cancel out his error — the Belgian rising to meet a Jack Grealish corner and power in a header to make it 2-2. Villa’s Spanish keeper Reina made three fine saves to deny the impressive Son but the South Korean was to strike the decisive blow in the final moments of the game.
Engels ended the match in despair as he mis-kicked a long ball forward and allowed Son to race clear and fire past Reina to take the three points.
“We were 0-1 down so we showed our character and we didn’t give up. I felt bad because I had a couple of chances to score but I got the winning goal which makes me very happy and I think the lads deserved the win,” said Son.
The defeat left Villa in 17th place, just a point above the relegation zone, but victory was a major boost for Spurs in their bid for Champions League qualification.
