Premier League leaders Arsenal were held to a 0-0 draw by Newcastle last night, while improving Manchester United defeated Bournemouth 3-0.
In another match, Fulham defeated struggling Leicester 1-0 in a fiercely contested contest.
The Gunners and Magpies battled to a brutal 0-0 draw that demonstrated why both teams have performed above expectations this season.
At the Emirates Stadium, a fiercely contested match involving a barrage of yellow cards came to a deadlock.
But Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, and Eddie Howe, the manager of Newcastle, will draw encouragement from the way their teams stood their ground against opponents who were in good form.
Inevitably, Arsenal experienced a small amount of resentment for squandering the opportunity to pass second-place Manchester City by 10 points before the champions’ match at Chelsea on Thursday.
It was only the second time in their past 11 games that Arsenal failed to earn all three points, and the first time in six games.
However, there wasn’t much to criticize about Arsenal’s high-octane display, which easily could have led to another remarkable victory in a campaign that has defied all expectations.
Intriguingly, Arsenal’s next two league games have tense matchups with Tottenham and Manchester United.
After going 19 years without winning the Premier League, it is amazing enough for Arsenal to be in control of the title race in the beginning of 2023.
But what is maybe even more surprising is to see Newcastle more than competing with the leaders.
With their sixth consecutive clean sheet across all competitions, third-placed Newcastle, who have gone unbeaten in their past 12 league games, secured their spot in the top four.
Under the leadership of manager Eddie Howe and the ownership group supported by Saudi Arabia, the Magpies have made tremendous strides.
It was a noteworthy achievement to become the first team to prevent Arsenal from winning at home in the league this season, especially considering that they were also the first team to prevent the Gunners from scoring in the league since May.
As they raucously celebrated the point in one area of the Emirates Stadium, Newcastle’s devoted “Toon Army” fans were dreaming of making it to the Champions League after years of futility.
Arsenal started with the kind of pace and purpose that threatened to make it an unfavorable contrast for the visitors if this was meant to be a measuring stick game for Newcastle.
Other Premier League Results
Everton 1 – 4 Brighton
At Goodison Park, Everton started 2023 with a heartbreaking 4-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.
After Kaoru Mitoma’s early goal gave the visitors the lead at halftime, Roberto De Zerbi’s team scored three goals in a disastrous six-minute span to easily win the match.
After Alex Iwobi was hauled down by Robert Sanchez in the penalty area in stoppage time, the Blues were awarded a penalty by Demarai Gray, but it was far too late.
Manchester United 3 – 0 Bournemouth
In a midweek match at Old Trafford against relegation-threatened Bournemouth, Manchester United looked to reaffirm their place as one of the top four teams in the Premier League.
Prior to the match, the Red Devils had a two-point lead over Tottenham, who was slipping in the standings.
With the victory, they were able to overtake Tottenham by a full five points and level points with Newcastle United, who had drew scorelessly with Arsenal.
Leicester City 0 – 1 Fulham
Aleksandar Mitrovic, who scored the game-winning goal for Fulham against Leicester City to move them up to seventh place in the Premier League standings, said his team “want to keep the dream continuing.”
The striker assisted the Cottagers in winning their third straight game since the league resumed after the World Cup break by chesting down Willian’s cross and converting from close range in the 17th minute.
With their most recent victory, Fulham has raised their point total to 28, tying them with Liverpool for a position in the Europa Conference League.
They finished bottom in their last two Premier League seasons with 26 points in 2018–19 and 28 in 2020–21.
