EPL: Stoppage-time heroics lift Arsenal past Newcastle at St James’ Park

Arsenal football club staged a dramatic late turnaround at Saint James’ park on Sunday evening, scoring twice in the closing stages to snatch a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United and move up to second place in the Premier League table.

The visitors had silenced the home crowd in the first half when striker Woltemade pounced to give Newcastle a deserved lead.

Arsenal thought they had a lifeline shortly before the break when referee awarded a penalty for Nick Pope’s challenge on Viktor Gyökeres, but VAR intervened, ruling out the decision after a lengthy review.

For much of the second half, Newcastle looked on course to secure all three points, frustrating Mikel Arteta’s side with disciplined defending and sharp counter-attacks. But the Gunners refused to surrender.

Mikel Merino finally broke through in the 84th minute, drilling home the equaliser to set up a frantic finale.

With the pressure mounting deep into stoppage time, Gabriel rose highest from a corner to head in the winner in the 96th minute, sparking wild celebrations among the Arsenal supporters.

The victory pushes Arsenal into second place, keeping their title ambitions alive, while Newcastle were left to rue missed chances and the heartbreak of conceding so late.