Arsenal held off an inspired second half display from Newcastle United to claim a 2-1 win on Saturday and maintain pressure on second placed Manchester City in the Premier League.

The win put the Gunners on 60 points after 30 matches, a point behind City, that won 3-0 in the early kick-off at home to West Brom, and four points behind league leaders Chelsea that however have two games in hand, starting with a trip to Hull City on Sunday.

There was the disappointment of exitting the UEFA Champions League at the last 16 stage for a fifth successive year to get over, and two quick goals from Olivier Giroud midway through the first half sorted that heartbreak out.

Giroud went into the game with a record of six goals in five appearances against the Magpies and the Frenchman kept up that streak by breaking the deadlock after 24 minutes.

A Santi Cazorla free kick was headed down by Danny Welbeck to Giroud’s path and the striker managed to get a knee to the ball to steer it past Tim Krul in the Newcastle goal.

The Frenchman then made it 2-0 four minutes later as poor defending from Newcastle allowed the former Montpellier man to head home without needing to jump for Cazorla’s cornerkick.

And all would have been forgiven for assuming the game was in the bag for Arsenal, until Moussa Sissoko drilled in a first-time shot off a Remy Cabella cross to bring the Magpies back in the game four minutes into the second half.

Ayoze Perez then saw a curling effort sail just wide moments later while Yoann Gouffran scuffed an effort straight at Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina when a cross in found him unmarked in the Arsenal area.

Ospina was immense in saving a glancing Sissoko header from point blank range while also denying Ayoze and seeing a fierce Daryl Janmaat strike from long range sail wide as Arsenal barely survived a second half barrage from Newcastle to get a crucial 2-1 win.

Meanwhile at Villa Park, Aston Villa was brought down from the highs of winning 4-0 at Sunderland last time out to the lows of a 1-0 home defeat in the hands of Swansea City courtesy of Bafetimbi Gomis’ goal three minutes from time.

The result allowed Swansea move into eighth spot with 43 points, a point ahead of Stoke City that fell 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace in another Premier League match on Saturday.

Saturday’s programme in the English top flight will be completed with Dick Advocaat’s first game in charge of Sunderland who visit West Ham United in the evening kick-off.