On this day in 2011, Arsenal made the long trip to the North-East to play Newcastle United on the back of a seven-match unbeaten streak that had enabled them to remain within striking distance of leaders Manchester United, but with Sir Alex Ferguson's side going up against bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, the expectancy was that the Gunners needed three points on Tyneside.
As for Newcastle United, just three wins in 13 league fixtures had seen the Magpies fall into a cluster of teams who were occupying mid-table, and although there was a considerable margin between themselves and the relegation zone, Alan Pardew required a positive result to avoid wasting a promising start at St James' Park after his arrival in December.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger opted to recall winger Andrey Arshavin to his starting lineup, while Pardew, looking to replace the Liverpool-bound Andy Carroll, paired Peter Lovenkrands and Leon Best in his attack, and he wasted no time in recalling Cheick Tiote, who had missed the previous three games through suspension.
The inclusion of Tiote was supposed to strengthen Newcastle in the middle of the park, but it took just 43 seconds for the home side to fall behind. Arshavin picked out Theo Walcott with a perfectly weighted through-ball and after the winger had outpaced Fabricio Coloccini, he slotted his effort past Steve Harper.
Newcastle were shell-shocked, but moments after the opener, their uphill battle became even steeper as they fell further behind to the Gunners. Again, Arshavin was the creator as he whipped over a free kick for Johan Djourou to power a header into the top corner, leaving Harper with no chance.
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Kevin Nolan attempted to rouse a silenced St James' Park, but although the game hadn't reached the quarter-hour mark, it appeared as though Newcastle were playing for pride as Arsenal netted a third through Robin van Persie, who was in the right place at the right time to convert a pull-back from Walcott from close range.
The Magpies mustered a reply though Best and Nolan, who both had headers miss the target, but every time the visitors mounted an attack they looked like scoring, and on 26 minutes Van Persie netted his second of the contest after rising above the Newcastle backline to head in a delivery from Bacary Sagna.
With less than half an hour on the clock, sections of the home supporters were seen leaving in their droves with Pardew cutting a disconsolate figure on the touchline, but the Newcastle boss would have been relieved to see the deficit remain at four after Van Persie and Arshavin wasted openings during the closing stages of the first half.
Somewhat surprisingly, Pardew avoided the temptation to ring the changes at the break and instead kept faith in the players that had been overwhelmed in the opening 45 minutes. However, four minutes after the restart, the Magpies were handed a lifeline when Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby was handed a straight red card for reacting to a strong challenge from Joey Barton.
The dismissal revitalised Newcastle, and although they had no more than a small glimmer of hope of a comeback, they surged forward in their numbers with Danny Simpson and Nolan both forcing saves out of Wojciech Szczesny.
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Despite increasing the pressure on the North London outfit, a goal failed to come, but as the second half reached its midway point, Newcastle were awarded a penalty after Laurent Koscielny tugged the shirt of Best in the area, and up stepped Barton to confidently dispatch the spot kick as Szczesny dived the wrong way.
The home supporters who remained in St James' Park had reason for renewed optimism, and after Mike Williamson saw a header palmed away by Szczesny, the deficit was reduced to two when Best out-jumped Gael Clichy inside the penalty area before the ball bounced kindly for him to fire home from close range.
A quarter of an hour remained for Newcastle to find two goals, but with seven minutes left, they were handed the opportunity to score a third after Williamson tumbled inside the box under pressure from Koscielny and Tomas Rosicky. The decision was harsh on the Gunners, but Barton made no mistake from the spot to leave Newcastle on the brink of the biggest fightback in Premier League history.
To Arsenal's credit, they responded well by keeping the ball inside the Newcastle half, but that only lasted for a couple of minutes before Tiote scored an unlikely fourth to get his team back on level terms. After a free kick was only cleared to the edge of the area, the Ivorian lashed home a 25-yard volley that left Arsenal, and Wenger, stunned.
After United lost at Wolves, the draw was enough for Arsenal to close the gap on the league leaders, but the afternoon belonged to Newcastle, with this performance likely to have a permanent place in the Premier League history books.
