Bruno Guimaraes handed ban after what he did v Arsenal as Newcastle United hit by triple blow - five things

Newcastle United injury woes grow after initial shock return

There were a couple of surprise returns to the matchday squad ahead of the match as Jacob Murphy was back involved just 10 days after dislocating his shoulder against Borussia Dortmund. Eddie Howe said prior to the match that the club were still waiting to see whether the winger required surgery but instead took a ‘risk’ in involving him against Arsenal.

Lewis Miley also returned to a depleted Newcastle bench following illness. In terms of the starting line-up, Howe made eight changes from the side that beat Manchester United 3-0 in the Carabao Cup in midweek - naming the same 11 that drew 2-2 at Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out in the Premier League.

But Newcastle’s long injury list ended up growing that bit longer during the match as Dan Burn was taken off at half-time after falling awkwardly on his back. The defender will be assessed with the current severity of his injury unclear.

Murphy then came on as a second half substitute, playing a role in Anthony Gordon’s match-winner before appearing to dislocate his shoulder once again.

After being coy on Murphy’s injury on Friday, Howe then confirmed the player would now need surgery and faces around three months on the sidelines.

Sandro Tonali watches on at St James’ Park following a ban

Sandro Tonali’s 10 month ban for breaching Italian betting regulations came into effect ahead of the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers last week with Newcastle’s first home match since the ban coming against Arsenal.

Despite not being allowed to play for The Magpies, Tonali has continued to train at the club and watched on from the stands in what would prove to be a fiery encounter on Tyneside.

Unlike injured players like Alexander Isak and Elliot Anderson, who visited the dressing room for a team photo following the win, Tonali was absent from the post-match celebrations.

Kai Havertz and Bruno Guimaraes red card controversy as Newcastle man suspended

The big talking point at the end of the first half was whether two key players for either side should have remained on the pitch.

Arsenal forward Kai Havertz left the ground before connecting high on Sean Longstaff’s ankle only to escape with a yellow card. Anthony Gordon, Fabian Schar and Longstaff himself were all booked for protesting the decision to keep Havertz on the pitch in a decision that actually reduced Newcastle temporarily to 10-men as Longstaff left the pitch following treatment.

“We were close to the incident, I thought it was high and potentially dangerous,” Howe said on Havertz’s challenge. “He was lucky to get a yellow. There was a lot of yellow cards and I don’t think there needed to be - it wasn’t a dirty game but there were a few flash points.”

As half-time approached, Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes escaped punishment for what appeared to be a forearm into the back of Jorginho, causing the Arsenal man to drop to the floor.

Both incidents were checked by VAR but the on-field decisions, or lack of a decision in Guimaraes’ case, stood.

Still, Guimaraes still faces a one-match suspension after being shown his fifth yellow card of the season in the closing stages of the game. He will miss next weekend’s trip to AFC Bournemouth as a result.

Gareth Southgate watches on as Newcastle claim victory

England boss Gareth Southgate was back at St James’ Park as he ponders his squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier matches later this month. Given the Three Lions have already qualified for next summer’s tournament, Southgate could be tempted to hand lesser-used players an opportunity to feature in the matches against Malta and North Macedonia.

England regulars such as Kieran Trippier, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were in action in the match along with Nick Pope, Callum Wilson and hopefuls such as Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah and Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon and Sean Longstaff.

Jamaal Lascelles’ monumental performance against The Gunners may also have caught the eye of the England boss, although a first England call-up is unlikely.

But Gordon in particular seems to be knocking on the door for his first senior call-up and did his chances no harm in front of Southgate on Saturday with a typically tenacious and energetic performance capped off with a controversial match-winning strike. The 22-year-old’s versatility to switch between playing out wide and through the middle as a central striker will almost certainly have impressed the England boss.

We’ll discover whether it was enough to merit a first England call-up later in the week when the full squad is announced.

Newcastle United VAR controversy

The main talking point of the game stems from Gordon’s match-winning strike with three different VAR checks failing to overturn the on-field decision to allow the goal.

The first check was whether the ball went out of play as Joe Willock attempted to keep it in by the corner flag. A tight call but the VAR check found no conclusive evidence that the whole ball had gone out.

The second check was for a potential foul by Joelinton on Gabriel. The Arsenal defender went down with Joelinton’s arms outstretched but again VAR did not overrule Stuart Attwell’s decision.

Finally, there was a check to see whether Gordon was offside as the ball was played by Joelinton which once again survived VAR’s scrutiny and the goal stood.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta branded the decision a ‘disgrace’ as Newcastle were the ones celebrating a big three points come full-time.

It’s now seven matches unbeaten in the Premier League for Howe’s side while Arsenal suffered their first league defeat of the season.