EPL: Saka shines again as Arsenal romp to big win over Newcastle

Nigeria-born Bukayo Saka put up another impressive shift as Arsenal secured their biggest win in recent times as they thumped Newcastle 4-0 in the Premier League tie played at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Saka provided an assist, his eighth in all competitions this season, as Arsenal continued to show improvement under Mikel Arteta with a big win over the Magpies.

With Sunday’s assist, Saka has two more than any teammate; he also has the most assists of any Premier League teenager this season.

Though Arsenal finished with a big win, the Gunners had to overcome a lifeless first half where they fired blanks.

However, improved performance in the second half turned it into a rout as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe, Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette all found the net, ending the Gunners’ run of four successive Premier League draws.

It was their second win of 2020 and Arteta will be confident his side are now on an upward trend as he tries to implement his ideas.

It turned into an almost perfect outing for Pepe, who bagged two assists and produced the sort of contribution that justifies his £72 million price tag in the summer, while Ozil scored his first goal since last April and Lacazette ended a nine-game drought.

Mikel Arteta sprung a surprise with his starting line-up, handing a first Premier League start to 20-year-old striker, Eddie Nketiah, ahead of Alexandre Lacazette.

Dani Ceballos was also selected for his first start since November as the Gunners were keen to end a run of four consecutive draws.

After spending a week training in Dubai, Arteta had the opportunity to instill his philosophy into his players as they begin their push to qualify for the Champions League even though with Sunday’s win, Arsenal are still rooted in the 10th spot.