No trophy again, Arsenal defeated Newcastle

Arsenal secured a spot in the Champions League next season with a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Declan Rice's goal in the 55th minute was enough to ensure the Gunners avoided a crazy Premier League weekend and were almost certain to finish second, as only Manchester City could catch up with them and they had 10 fewer goals than they were.

Newcastle performed better early in the game, without Alexander Isaac, absent from a slight groin injury, and they missed a series of opportunities, with Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya in good shape. Thomas Paltey received a corner kick from Bukayo Saka in the 14th minute, heading the ball near the close post, but Arsenal was suppressed until after halftime to upgrade.

Anthony Gordon lost the ball cheaply, Martin Odge made progress on the right and then gave Rice a square pass, who made his first low shot over Nick Pope. Newcastle tried to equalize but couldn't find a way back, and Arsenal beat Eddie Howe's team in its fourth attempt for the first time this season.

While Arsenal will travel to Southampton, which has been relegated next weekend, Newcastle will face an anxious final with Everton, who is third among five clubs, only one point away from City, and Manchester City will host Bournemouth at home on Tuesday.

Arteta urges Arsenal to maintain faith

In the past two seasons, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta will speak to fans on the court after the final home game of the season, vowing to do better next year. After another season without a trophy, he had no choice but to do the same thing again on Sunday.

"We have a dream," he began. “Come here today or a week later and bring the big trophy to you. Unfortunately, in many cases, we can’t do that.” But to make sure that the pursuit of dreams doesn’t get blurred, you don’t [ignore] what these players, these staff, this football club is doing. "Make sure we chase our dreams with enthusiasm and positive attitude next season.

Arsenal were plagued by injuries and they felt wronged by the red card they received at the beginning of the season, when the application of the new rules was still in progress. However, overall, Arteta admitted that the Gunners took a step back in the league and, while it was a great achievement to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009, they did not meet their expectations throughout the season.

Instead of lifting the trophy, Arteta had fans waited for five years to win the trophy and faced a third straight runner-up.