Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finally ended his scoring drought in the Premier League with two second-half goals in 3-0 win against Newcastle on Monday (Tuesday NZT) as the Gunners try to claw their way out of mid-table.
Aubameyang, who hadn’t scored in the league since December 16, broke the deadlock in the 50th minute before Bukaya Saka added a second with style 11 minutes later. An unmarked Aubameyang got his second goal in the 77th minute.
It was a fifth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions for Arsenal and a fourth win in five league matches. But the Gunners only moved up a place to 10th with 27 points, as they try to turn around their season after a woeful start.
Newcastle remain in 15th place, only seven points from the relegation zone.
Aubameyang, who had just three league goals this season coming into the game, seemed like he would continue his poor run of form after missing a string of chances in the first half.
But a perfectly weighted long ball from midfielder Thomas Partey found the struggling forward on the left, leaving him one-on-one with defender Emil Krafth.
The Arsenal captain cut inside and struck the ball past goalkeeper Karl Darlow, beating him at the near post. Aubameyang did his trademark front flip in celebration.
Then, it was the time for Arsenal’s youngsters to shine. Emile Smith Rowe took the ball down the left before cutting in and setting up an unmarked Saka, who drifted in to near the penalty spot before finishing with a simple tap-in.
Aubameyang’s second came when Cedric Soares took the ball to the byline before looking up and finding his unmarked captain, who sidefooted home. A video review confirmed the ball was kept in play by Soares.
Aubameyang didn’t have a chance to score a hat-trick, as he was substituted two minutes later.
One of the few Newcastle counterattacks came in the 24th minute, when winger Miguel Almiron beat Partey’s sliding tackle to intercept the ball and break unmarked down the right. The Paraguayan cut in and exchanged passes with Andy Carroll before firing the ball over the bar.
The visitors made eight changes, with manager Steve Bruce fielding a more attacking lineup as Newcastle tries to steer clear of the relegation zone.
But the Magpies are still missing one of their main attacking threats, winger Allan Saint-Maximin, who has been sidelined for the past seven weeks with a severe case of Covid-19. He only recently started training again.
