Arsenal edged Newcastle 1-0 in their Saturday's Premier League fixture at the Emirates Stadium, with a beautifully crafted goal that saw the Gunners go top of the table and keep their title dream alive.

Mikel Arteta’s side arrived at this game level on points with the Citizens but trailing on goals scored, following back-to-back league defeats to Bournemouth and Manchester City.

The window to keep their title dream alive was narrowing fast, and the Emirates crowd was demanding an immediate response.

Newcastle, meanwhile, arrived in London in a state of crisis. Four consecutive defeats - now five - a devastating Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona and a growing injury list have left Eddie Howe’s side languishing in 14th place, their early-season ambitions long forgotten.

By the end of 90 minutes, the Gunners returned to the summit of the Premier League table over Manchester City after an extremely nervy triumph over the Magpies.

Eze's delightful curling strike ended Arsenal's four-match losing run in domestic competitions, and Arteta's men now boast a three-point lead over Man City, but the Sky Blues have a game in hand.

Arsenal may have come into Saturday’s fixture in second place for the first time since October, winless in the Premier League for six weeks and seemingly staring down the barrel of another near miss. Yet, there was a lightness around the place.

There are few stadiums which cheer the award of a corner as loudly as the Emirates. Arsenal won three in rapid succession yet the first two drew groans as Noni Madueke rolled each short to Ødegaard with no success. The collective moan which formed as the Norwegian skipper ran to collect a third pass got caught in the throat as Madueke instead punched the ball into Havertz.

Unmarked inside the box, the German forward delivered a deft prod for Eze to run onto, whipping a finish with easy power right into the top corner.

The two players who combined for the game’s only goal both hobbled off the pitch within the first 55 minutes. Eze encouragingly took a seat on the bench but Kai Havertz made a beeline straight for the changing rooms after going down in the first half.

Arteta was quizzed on the pair's fitness in his post-match interview, where he refused to give much away but cut a more hopeful than pessimistic figure.

"Let's see, at the moment they have to be looked after but hopefully they're going to be okay," Arteta said on his two attackers.

Elaborating in his press conference, the Spaniard added: "They are muscular niggles. We don’t think it’s too bad."

Arsenal received some good news on the injury front prior to kickoff on Saturday, as Bukayo Saka was included on the bench for the first time since before the international break following an Achilles issue.

With Havertz and Martin Odegaard also in the starting lineup, Arsenal could have played with the Norwegian, the German and Saka in the same side since the 2023-24 season, against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

However, Havertz's first-half injured denied Arsenal the opportunity to field their three key attackers on the pitch at one time, and it remains to be seen whether the ex-Chelsea man and Eze are fit to face Atletico Madrid next week.

The Gunners take on Diego Simeone's side on Wednesday evening in the first leg of their semi-final showdown, before hosting Fulham in the top flight next Saturday.