Newcastle United v Arsenal ‘dark arts’ addressed as Tindall and Guimaraes moments caught on camera
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Newcastle United take on Arsenal this weekend in a hotly-anticipated fixture which has had its fair share of controversial moments over the last few seasons.
Newcastle United head to the Emirates Stadium having already defeated Arsenal three times this season, with one of those triumphs coming in north London. The Gunners, who know a slip-up could see them lose control of a second place finish, will be determined to avoid a fourth defeat to Eddie Howe’s side and preserve their near perfect home Premier League record against the Magpies.
Matches between Arsenal and Newcastle United have been full of drama in recent times and with Champions League qualification on the line, fireworks are expected on Sunday. Both teams have big characters, both on and off the pitch, that will have a big say in how proceedings unfold on Sunday.
Newcastle will be hoping Bruno Guimaraes, once an Arsenal target, can drive his team towards victory after sealing Sunday’s crucial win over Chelsea. After huge celebrations following his late goal, the Brazilian was caught blowing a kiss in the direction of Enzo Fernandez, a man that he had been battling with all afternoon.
And post-match, Enzo Maresca was caught refusing to shake Jason Tindall’s hand. Tindall, who served a touchline ban at the Amex Stadium, was caught in a war of words with Marc Cucurella earlier that afternoon.
Eddie Howe addresses Newcastle United v Arsenal ‘dark arts’
Both Guimaraes and Tindall will be hoping they can leave north London on the winning side on Sunday - and will be keen to ensure their side keeps their discipline in a fixture that usually produces fireworks. Back in November 2023, a clash at St James’ Park resulted in tensions boiling over on a number of occasions with Newcastle’s winner, scored by Anthony Gordon, the subject of multiple VAR checks, ones that are still debated on social media today.
With such fine lines between success and failure, and the prize of Champions League qualification on the line if Newcastle can seal three points, keeping their discipline will be key to success on Sunday. The label of being masters of the ‘dark arts’ has been placed on both Arsenal and Newcastle in recent times and Howe, speaking ahead of the reverse fixture between the sides in November, was asked if his team needed to find that mentality again to be successful.
“Yes, but I think it is related to winning. When you are winning games, if you are leading games, everything is different compared to when you are chasing games. In part, it was over hyped and talked about more because we were in that position a lot that season [2022/23].
He continued: “But certainly, doing whatever it takes to win, as long as it is within the rules, I’m a firm believer in that. The ability we had to close out tight games that season was incredibly good. We managed games really well.
“We had a different make up to the team, we had different characters and personalities than we do now. We perhaps had a little more experience in the group, and that can pay dividends.”