Shearer singles out Newcastle man who Arsenal ‘stopped from playing’ – ‘Didn’t have the best game’
Alan Shearer has praised Arsenal for stopping Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from playing during Sunday’s Premier League match.
The Gunners picked up an impressive 2-0 win at St James’ Park thanks to Martin Odegaard’s long-range effort and a Fabian Schar own goal.
The victory will keep Premier League leaders Manchester City on their toes with many expecting Mikel Arteta’s men to drop points against the Magpies.
There were plenty of standout performers for Arsenal, with Jorginho and Aaron Ramsdale starring in particular.
It was obviously a disappointing afternoon for Newcastle, whose star men struggled to stamp their authority on the game.
One player who had one of his most difficult games for the club was Bruno Guimaraes.
And Newcastle legend Shearer has praised Arsenal for ‘stopping’ the Brazilian midfielder from playing his usual game.
“You have to also give credit to Arsenal,” Shearer told Premier League Productions. “They stopped Newcastle’s midfield. It has been such a huge part of what they do and how they operate.
“They stopped Bruno from playing. We said before the game, so much of what Newcastle do well comes through him and he didn’t have the best game, but it’s because of the way Arsenal stopped him.”
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Shearer was impressed with Jacob Murphy – who he singled out for winning his individual battle against Oleksandr Zinchenko.
“There wasn’t many Newcastle players that won their individual battles,” he added.
“Murphy won his battle against Zinchenko because Mikel had to take him off. He gave him a really tough afternoon.
“He was one of Newcastle’s better players.”
Newcastle will hope to bounce back when they travel to Leeds on Saturday.
The Whites are in dire need of points and will hope ex-Magpies boss Sam Allardyce can pull off a shock result to pull them further away from the bottom three.
Newcastle and Manchester United’s respective defeats on Sunday will give both Liverpool and Brighton hope they can finish inside the Champions League places.
The Geordies are currently three points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool with a game in hand, but their fixture list is quite testing.
After their trip to Elland Road, Eddie Howe’s men face Brighton and Leicester at home before taking on struggling Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the final day of the season.
Liverpool are in great form at this moment in time, which will likely be playing on the minds of the Newcastle and Manchester United players.
After losing two games in four days, the Red Devils host Wolves this weekend. They also have a game in hand on Jurgen Klopp’s side, but are only one point ahead of them.
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