Football

Newcastle United dealt a significant blow to Arsenal's Premier League title aspirations on Saturday, securing a crucial 1-0 victory at St James' Park. The result handed Manchester City the opportunity to extend their lead at the summit to eight points.Alexander Isak emerged as the hero for Newcastle, heading home Anthony Gordon's precise cross in the 12th minute. Arsenal, despite dominating possession, struggled to create clear-cut chances and managed only one shot on target throughout the match.Mikel Arteta's side has now accumulated just one point from their last three outings, casting doubt on their title challenge. If Manchester City prevails against Bournemouth later on Saturday, they will establish an eight-point advantage over the Gunners.Arsenal's title hopes have been dented by injuries, and their performance against Newcastle highlighted their current struggles. The visitors started brightly but were quickly outplayed by a determined Newcastle side.Isak's goal proved decisive, and Arsenal's attempts to equalize were thwarted by a resolute Newcastle defense. Arteta's decision to make no changes at halftime backfired, as Newcastle nearly doubled their lead through Joe Willock.The introduction of Ethan Nwaneri and Oleksandr Zinchenko failed to spark Arsenal, and Isak continued to threaten the Arsenal goal. Arteta's late substitutions, including Ben White and Gabriel Jesus, proved ineffective as Arsenal squandered a golden opportunity to equalize in stoppage time.Newcastle's victory lifts them to eighth in the table, while Arsenal's title aspirations hang in the balance. The Gunners face a challenging schedule in the coming weeks, including a Champions League clash with Inter Milan and a Premier League encounter with Chelsea.