The Gunners sat a point above North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and could still finish in the top four should they lose and their neighbours only manage a draw.

Arsene Wenger's side could still have finished third above Chelsea should results have worked in their favour, while Newcastle United, who have already secured their safety this season, had nothing to play for.

However, a 1-0 win was enough for Arsenal as they secured Champions League football and fourth place.

Read how it all unfolded in our live commentary below.

Match statistics:

Newcastle:
Shots 7
On target 2
Possession 50%
Corners 4
Fouls 17

Arsenal:
Shots 9
On target 3
Possession 50%
Corners 4
Fouls 10

Was the result fair?

This match was physical and mental torture for Arsenal fans, but on the basis of the match they just shaded it. Newcastle had a number of chances but the Gunners could have won by more. In the end, the best team won.

Newcastle's performance

For a side with nothing to play for (apart from Mike Ashley's millions), Newcastle played very well. They could have easily found the back of the net in the match, and really played with no pressure as they looked to go out with a bang. Certainly not too shabby from the Magpies.

Arsenal's performance

Arsenal came to St James' Park needing a win and they got the job done. Nerves were evident in their performance at times, but Arsenal played well enough to secure Champions League football once again.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Laurent Koscielny: Nobody comes close to this man for the award. He scored the winner and helped keep a clean sheet in the most vital match of Arsenal's season. He took his goal like a world-class striker and was on hand to save his side time and time again. Outstanding performance from the Frenchman.

Biggest Gaffe

There wasn't really too much in the way of gaffes in this match. Arsenal could have perhaps done better with a couple of chances. However, this award should go to the Spurs fans who began celebrating when Newcastle had equalised; as you can tell, they got that one horribly wrong.

Referee performance

Howard Webb did well in a tense atmosphere. He was pretty much correct with all of his yellow card decisions and didn't come under the spotlight at all, which is the biggest compliment you can pay to an official.

What next?

Newcastle: The Magpies will have some big decisions to make this summer, including the future of manager Alan Pardew and whether to offload some players and sign some new ones.

Arsenal: The Gunners will start the 2013-14 season early because of their Champions League qualifiers and will also be looking to make additions to their squad during the summer transfer window to make it competitive to challenge for the Premier League title.