"Incredible" - Mikel Arteta lavishes praise on 2 Arsenal stars despite 1-0 Newcastle United defeat

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praised Kai Havertz and William Saliba despite falling to a 1-0 loss against Newcastle United at St. James' Park on Saturday, November 4.

Anthony Gordon's controversial 64th-minute goal separated the two sides during their Premier League clash as the Gunners fell to their first league defeat of the season. Arsenal weren't impressive up front, only registering one shot on target.

However, Arteta opted to defend his players, hailing Havertz and Saliba for their performances. He said (via The Boot Room):

“So much. It’s incredible the way these guys [Havertz and Saliba] play with 20 years, 21 years old, the way they play here, the way they compete against this team because they are a top team. Incredible. So to get a game out of that like this, I feel sick. That’s how I feel. I feel sick to be part of this.”

Saliba had a decent outing against the Magpies, with a passing accuracy of 90%. He also made two clearances and four recoveries, and won three duels.

However, Havertz wasn't very effective. The Germany international had a pass accuracy of just 70%, created zero chances, completed zero accurate crosses, and lost eight duels.

---

"I feel embarrassed" - Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta slams VAR after controversial Newcastle goal

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta was left fuming after VAR allowed Anthony Gordon's goal to stand during their 1-0 loss to Newcastle United on Saturday.

Jacob Murphy crossed the ball from the right flank, but he overhit it past both sets of players in the box. Joe Willock attempted to keep the ball in before crossing it into a dangerous area. David Raya failed to punch the ball clear while Joelinton contested Gabriel Magalhaes, enabling Gordon to tap the ball into an empty net.

VAR officials had a lengthy check following the goal. They reviewed if Willock had kept the ball in, if Joelinton had fouled Gabriel, and if Gordon was onside. Much to Arsenal's chagrin, the goal was allowed to stand, sealing all three points for Newcastle.

Arteta said (via Arsenal's official website):

"We have to talk about the result because you have to talk about how they help these goals stand up, and it's incredible. I feel embarrassed. But I have to be the one now coming here to try to defend the club and please ask for help because it’s an absolute disgrace that this goal is allowed, it’s an absolute disgrace."

He added:

"Because it’s not a goal, for many reasons it’s not a goal, for more than one reason at least it’s not a goal. And there’s too much at stake here, we put in so much effort, and it's so difficult to compete at this level. And it's an absolute disgrace. Again, I feel embarrassed, I've be more than 20 years in this country, and this is nowhere near the level to describe this as the best league in the world. I am sorry."

The Gunners are now third in the Premier League standings with 24 points from 11 games, three points behind Manchester City.