Newcastle United Fabricio Coloccini own goal was all Arsenal needed to earn what was arguably a deserved victory on Saturday afternoon.
Although the hosts at St James Park were trimmed to 10 men early in the game, they gave a spirited defence to frustrate Arsenal goal assaults.
The decisive moment came just after the break, at the 52nd minute, when the Argentine defender got a crucial touch on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s shot to divert the ball past Tim Krul.
Before then, Aleksandar Mitrovic had been sent off just 16 minutes into his home league debut after a studs-up challenge on Francis Coquelin.
Arsenal had much possession but, against a disciplined and typically committed Steve McClaren side, were forced to work for their victory.
It all means that Arsène Wenger’s side go into the international break with seven points from four games.
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