Arsenal made it four straight wins in the Premier League with an incredible 7-3 win over Newcastle United at the Emirates.
The Gunners took the lead after 20 minutes when Theo Walcott coolly slotted into the bottom corner, but Newcastle were level from a Demba Ba free kick moments before the interval.
Arsenal regained their lead moments into the second period when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain converted from outside the box, but Newcastle levelled once more through Sylvain Marveaux just before the hour mark.
The action continued as Lukas Podolski put Arsenal back ahead after 64 minutes, but it was 3-3 when Ba added his second five minutes later.
Arsenal were back ahead after 73 minutes, however, when Walcott had his second of the evening with a powerful finish from inside the box. The scoring was not finished there and Olivier Giroud added a late double to make it 6-3 to the Gunners before Walcott scored his third in stoppage time.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two sides.
Match statistics:
Arsenal:
Shots 14
On target 10
Possession 44%
Corners 5
Fouls 10
Newcastle United:
Shots 9
On target 7
Possession 56%
Corners 6
Fouls 11
Was the result fair?
In a word, yes. But it could all have ended so differently. Newcastle were the better side in the opening half, but simply could not make their chances count. Neither side was interested in defending as the match approached its latter stages and it added to the incredible excitement. Arsenal had just three more shots on target than Newcastle, but their finishing was so clinical.
Arsenal's performance
8/10. Arsenal were really poor in the opening period, but were sensational in the final 30 minutes. At 3-3 it appeared that Newcastle would go on to claim all three points, but their pace and movement caused the Magpies all sorts of problems. It is now four straight league wins for the Gunners as they move into fifth position with a game in hand.
Newcastle's performance
4/10. It would be no exaggeration to say that the Magpies dominated the opening half of football against Arsenal. They levelled before the interval courtesy of Ba, but Alan Pardew will be extremely worried with the way they collapsed in the latter stages. They have scored six goals in their last two away trips to Manchester United and Arsenal, but recorded zero points.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Theo Walcott: Three goals and an assist is not a bad way to earn a few extra quid in your new contract. The Englishman played down the middle this evening and was an absolute menace to the Newcastle defence. He now has 14 goals for the season.
Biggest gaffe of the match
Danny Simpson handed possession straight to Podolski in the build-up to Arsenal's second goal. The defender's throw was too short for Papiss Cisse and moments later his team were behind. It was really poor from the former Manchester United player.
Referee performance
Chris Foy had a fairly productive 90 minutes of action this evening. He went unnoticed for large periods and was prepared to allow the play to flow. Neither team will have had any complaints about his performance.
What next?
Arsenal: The Gunners will attempt to continue their winning run when they travel to Southampton on January 1. They then open their FA Cup campaign away to Swansea City on January 6.
Newcastle: Next up for Newcastle is a home tie against Everton on January 2 before they open up their FA Cup campaign away to Brighton & Hove Albion next Saturday.
Matt Law
