Arsenal End 2013 at the top of EPL table
Arsenal have reached the halfway point of their season, and they’ll head into the second half and the new year on the top of the Premier League table as They struggled to a 1-0 win over Newcastle United in a game with few chances and without Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Özil. They however defended well and made the most of their limited opportunities.
The beginning of the first half featured very few chances for either side, with both teams packing their midfields with players who are known for things other than their creativity.
Newcastle were unlucky not to score at the end of the first half, with Wojciech Szczesny and the crossbar coming up big for the Gunners. Moussa Sissoko had a laser of a shot tipped over the bar by Szczesny in first half stoppage time and Mathieu Debuchy was denied by the woodwork on the ensuing corner.
The hosts looked like the more dangerous team early in the second half, but were undone by some poor set piece marking in the 65th minute. Theo Walcott set up the game’s only goal with a perfectly placed free kick to the center of the box, finding the head of Giroud, who headed down past Tim Krul.
Arsenal had some scary moments at the end, but did enough to hold on for all three points. Szczesny almost gave away the lead when a poorly-executed clearance hit Loic Remy and bounced back towards his net, but the ball dribbled wide. Newcastle pushed everyone — including Krul — forward in desperate search of a late equalizer, but the Gunners defended late set pieces well to keep a clean sheet.