Barclays Premier League

FT: ARSENAL 7 NEWCASTLE 3

A hat-trick from Theo Walcott and two from substitute Oliver Giroud help Arsenal make it four wins in a row while Newcastle lose a thrilling goal-fest for the second time in four days and come up short in a hugely entertaining game at the Emirates. Walcott and Demba Ba exchanged goals in the first half, in what was only an appetiser for what was to follow. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski then twice put the Gunners in front only for Sylvain Marveaux and Ba again to level. Newcastle, though, ran out of steam after their match on Boxing Day and Arsenal mercilessly tore them apart. Walcott put the home side ahead to stay on 73 minutes before completing his hat-trick in stoppage time after two in two minutes from Giroud, who himself was denied a hat-trick by the crossbar. The ten goals was one short of the Premier League record.

OFF THE CROSSBAR

Giroud is denied his hat-trick as he fires against the crossbar from close range.

GOAL: ARSENAL 7 NEWCASTLE 3

Walcott completes a hat-trick, his second of the season and third for Arsenal, lifting a glorious shot over the unlucky Krul after a quickly-taken free-kick.

ARSENAL BOOKING

Santon is cautioned for a nasty challenge from behind on Giroud.

NEWCASTLE SUBSTITUTION

Sylvain Marveaux is replaced by James Tavernier.

GOAL: ARSENAL 6 NEWCASTLE 3

Oliver Giroud makes it six for Arsenal, stroking home a right-foot shot from inside the area after collecting a pass from Walcott. Newcastle are caving in here.

ARSENAL SUBSTITUTION

Santi Cazorla is replaced by Francis Coquelin.

GOAL: ARSENAL 5 NEWCASTLE 3

That is game over. Olivier Giroud heads a fifth for Arsenal with a headed goal from Walcott's cross.

WALCOTT SO CLOSE

Walcott's curling effort from the edge of the box hits Perch on the knee and goes a whisker wide. That would have been game over.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Shola Ameobi replaces Gael Bigirimana for Newcastle. Arsenal take off Lukas Podolski and put on Aaron Ramsey. Shane Ferguson has also come on for Danny Simpson for the visitors.

QUIZ TIME - AND ANSWER

Which former Newcastle striker scored a hat-trick for Arsenal when they beat the Toon 5-3 at Highbury in 1976? Answer in a couple of minutes. Update - answer added after final whistle due to glut of goals - it was Malcolm Macdonald.

TOON STILL GOING

Newcastle are not done here. Bigirimana shoots from 25 yards and forces an awkward save from Szczesny.

ARSENAL SUBSTITUTION

Oliver Giroud replaces Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Arsenal.

GOAL DETAILS

This time it's Newcastle's turn to forget to mark their men. Cisse left Gibbs all alone on the left and he pulled the ball back into the centre. Podolski swung his leg at it and missed, Walcott steaded himself and lashed a shot into the top corner.

GOAL: ARSENAL 4 NEWCASTLE 3

Theo Walcott puts Arsenal back in front again.

GOAL DETAILS

It's a great goal from Newcastle's view, but atrocious defending from the home side. Marveaux swivelled 25 yards from goal and floated a pass with the outside of his right foot for Ba to volley home from close range, the Toon frontman sneaking in on the blindside of Gibbs, who must have been thinking about getting home and playing with his Christmas presents, because he certainly wasn't concentrating on the game.Fabricio Coloccini

GOAL: ARSENAL 3 NEWCASTLE 3

Demba Ba levels for Newcastle again!

KOSCIELNY GOES CLOSE

Arsenal almost add a fourth, but Koscielny heads wide from Wilshere's right-wing corner.

GOAL DETAILS

The Gunners won the ball high up the pitch. Wilshere made good ground down the left and stood up an excellent cross that Coloccini headed off his own line and against the crossbar. He was a little unlucky that the German was perfectly placed to nod home from two yards.

GOAL: ARSENAL 3 NEWCASTLE 2

Arsenal are back in front. The scorer is Lukas Podolski.

KRUL ALERT AGAIN

Cisse is caught in possession and is almost costs his side a goal. Podolski exchanges passes with Cazorla and looks in on goal, but Krul races off his line to save.

FINE SAVE FROM KRUL

Cazorla collects a short pass from Wilshere and his well-struck left-footed effort from 20 yards forces Krul into a top-class save.

GOAL DETAILS

Gabriel Obertan made good ground down the left before cutting in and delivering a low centre to the far post. The ball took a slight deflection off Koscielny, but even so there was no excuse to leave Marveaux unattended at the back post and he duly converted with ease.

GOAL: ARSENAL 2 NEWCASTLE 2

Sylvain Marveaux levels for Newcastle. Arsenal are stunned.

WALCOTT SHOOTS WIDE

Tiote is robbed in the centre circle by Walcott, who advances to the edge of the area before running out of ideas and trying an unconvincing effort that goes well wide.

BETTER FROM ARSENAL

There's good news for Arsenal fans on all fronts. Their team are playing with much more pace and purpose at the start of this second half. And Arsene Wenger appears to have fixed the zip on his official Gunners coat that was causing him consternation for much of the first period.

GOAL DETAILS

It was a goal of Newcastle's own making. Near his own corner flag, Danny Simpson threw the ball straight to Podolski. The ball was transferred via Cazorla to Oxlade-Chamberlain, who drilled a low shot through the legs of Santon into the corner, giving Krul no chance.

GOAL: ARSENAL 2 NEWCASTLE 1

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain puts Arsenal back in front.

GIBBS EFFORT SAVED

Arsenal immediately mount a threat. Podolski puts in Gibbs on the overlap and his driven shot to the near post is blocked by Krul.

CAZORLA MR ANONYMOUS

Just to let you Arsenal fans know that we have spotted Santi Cazorla, who apparently was on the pitch in the first half, if rather inconspicuous. The Spaniard kicked off to start the second half, in case you were getting worried.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Arsenal get the second half under way.

HT: ARSENAL 1 NEWCASTLE 1

Demba Ba's goal just before the interval sends Newcastle in much the happier of the two sides. The Senegal front man saw his free-kick take a wicked deflection off Jack Wilshere that wrong-footed Wojciech Szczesny in the Arsenal goal. The Gunners, like the game, have been lacklustre. The home side took the lead thanks to Theo Walcott's strike on 20 minutes. The England forward collected a pass from Lukas Podolski and outpaced the cover before slotting a neat finish into the corner past Tim Krul. Newcastle have created the better chances, Ba twice heading over from corners and Szczesny keeping out long-range shots from Cheick Tiote and Sylvain Marveaux.

FINE SAVE FROM SZCZESNY

Newcastle threaten again and Marveaux forces Szczesny into a fine save diving to his right.

GOAL: ARSENAL 1 NEWCASTLE 1

Demba Ba levels for Newcastle from a free-kick, which deflects off the back of Jack Wilshere's head.

CHANCES TO BOTH ENDS

Newcastle string a few passes together before Tiote lets fly from 25 yards and his swerving shot forces Szczesny to palm over. From the corner, Arsenal have a two-on-one break only for Walcott to spurn the opening with a dreadful final pass.

KRUL DENIES WALCOTT

Podolski is more committed in a challenge with Simpson and feeds Walcott, whose finish from 12 yards lacks conviction and draws a save from Krul.

NO END PRODICT

Arsenal's defence must be loving this. Newcastle are dominating possession, but are doing no damage at all, playing all their football in front of the Gunners' backline. It's like watching the Swansea team of last season. Pass, pass, pass, with no end product.

TOOTHLESS IN ATTACK

Newcastle were impressive in attack at Fulham and Manchester United. Today they have been absolutely dreadful going forward and look what they are – one of three Premier League teams yet to record an away win.

PERCH MR VERSATILE

Perch does his job well to track the run of Arteta and prevent him from sneaking in on the end of a Walcott corner. Krul drops the following set-piece, but regains possession just in time.

WHAT'S UP WITH THE OX?

Oxlade-Chamberlain finds space down the right but overhits his cross by some 25 yards. It's hard to think this is the same player who was being viewed as England's footballing Messiah only last season.

GOAL DETAILS

It's so easy for Arsenal. Walcott was played onside down the left by the snoozing Santon on the opposite flank. He collected the pass from Podolski and advanced in on goal before sliding a delightful finish around Krul into the opposite corner.

GOAL: ARSENAL 1 NEWCASTLE 0

Theo Walcott gives Arsenal the lead.

LACKING IN DIRECTION

Oxlade-Chamberlain shrugs off the lightweight Santon down the right. His cross, though, is Walcott-esque: in other words aimed at nobody in particular. Newcastle clear easily.

BA HEADS OVER

Newcastle win a rare corner. Marveaux delivers from the right and Ba heads wastefully over from eight yards. That was the best chance of the match so far.

ALERT DEFENDING

Walcott looks like he is going to have a great chance to open the scoring from Sagna's cross from the right, but Perch is alert enough to get across and snuff out the danger in the nick of time.

SOLID AT THE BACK

Alan Pardew must be delighted with the start his side have made. Arsenal have offered precious little threat going forward in these first 15 minutes.

SOME BREATHING ROOM

It has been a so-so day so far for Newcastle in the Premier League. Reading and Wigan both won, but Aston Villa were hammered again. The biggest result from their perspective was probably Stoke coming down to snatch a point when Southampton looked poised for a crucial away victory.

PARDEW KEEPS TIGHT-LIPPED

Pardew refused to be drawn when asked about Sir Alex Ferguson's comments about him and Newcastle, who the Scot had branded “a wee club”. That's a pity, we were all hoping for a second Toon boss coming out with another “love it” quote to rival Kevin Keegan's famous rant from 1996: uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YXpUdBlRZe8

FAR FROM OPTIMISTIC

Alan Pardew sounded like a beaten manager when interviewed before kick-off today. “For us, it's all about performance,” he said. “If we can get anything from today and anything from Everton it will be a bonus.”

SHOT WIDE OF THE POST

Arsenal break quickly after Tiote's shot is charged down. Wilshere carries the ball forward before feeding Oxlade-Chamberlain outside him, but his shot from the right edge of the box is dragged wide.

HERE WE GO

Newcastle kick off, attacking the goal to our left.

TONIGHT'S TEAMS

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Podolski, Walcott. Subs: Mannone, Rosicky, Giroud, Ramsey, Djourou, Coquelin, Gervinho. Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Perch, Santon, Obertan, Bigirimana, Tiote, Marveaux, Ba, Cisse. Subs: Harper, Shola Ameobi, Sammy Ameobi, Ferguson, Tavernier, Abeid, Streete. Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside).

TEAM NEWS

Per Mertesacker was taken ill overnight, so his place in central defence goes to Laurent Koscielny in the only change to the Arsenal side that won 1-0 at Wigan last time out. Mike Williamson (suspended) and Vurnon Anita (injured) miss out for Newcastle. Alan Pardew brings in Gabriel Obertan for a rare start and Cheick Tiote is back after serving a one-game ban. James Perch will drop back from midfield to partner Fabricio Coloccini in the centre of defence.

PREVIEW

With their Boxing Day match against West Ham having been postponed, Arsenal entertain Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium, rested and eager to make up ground on the sides around them who have already picked up points at the start of the festive period. The Gunners currently find themselves in seventh, but within striking distance, and with five of their next seven games at home they can cement their place in the top three over the next month if they can turn their home patch into a place to be feared. Arsene Wenger's men are looking for their fourth win in a row, but if they fall short of expectations come the end of the season, they will look back with disappointment at the five points dropped in front of their own fans against Fulham and Swansea. A further slip-up is simply unacceptable, particularly against a Newcastle outfit that are ravaged by injuries and no doubt tired from that performance at Old Trafford on Boxing Day. The Toon showed that day just how dangerous they can be. Their performances have not been those of a struggling side, even if they have not been matched by the results, but Arsenal need to be wary and their manager knows it. Wenger told the official Arsenal website: “Newcastle have gone through a difficult start but they showed [against Manchester United] that they have qualities and they have not lost them. For us, it's important to be well focused.” Today's game kicks off at 1730GMT, so join us around 30 minutes beforehand when we should have the confirmed team news, which will be followed by a match commentary.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Theo Walcott may have become something of a marginalised player during the earlier part of the season, but he has shown in the past two matches just how important it is for the Gunners to persuade him to sign a new deal. Playing down the middle – as is his preference – Walcott has looked mightily impressive and been instrumental in their last two victories on the road. The visitors' key man going forward is Demba Ba, whose 11 of Newcastle's 23 goals have been worth eight points to the club and without which they would be mired in the relegation zone. Just as important today, though, is how effective holding midfielder Cheick Tiote is at snuffing out the threat posed by the likes of Santi Cazorla when Arsenal go forward.

HEAD TO HEAD

Newcastle have the better head-to-head record in league meetings between the sides with 62 wins to 58 by Arsenal and 36 games being drawn. At the Emirates Stadium and its predecessors, Arsenal have 39 wins to 22 by Newcastle, with a further 15 meetings ending up all square. The corresponding match last season on Mar. 12 resulted in a 2-1 win for Arsenal. Hatem Ben Arfa gave the Toon a 14th-minute lead, which was immediately cancelled out by Robin van Persie before Thomas Vermaelen won it with a goal in the last minute. Newcastle did win on this ground on Nov. 7 2010, courtesy of a lone Andy Carroll goal.

FORM GUIDE

Arsenal sit in seventh place, with 30 points from 18 games, three points behind Tottenham, Everton and West Brom at start of play on Saturday, but with that postponed game against West Ham in hand. Newcastle start the day in 15th, with 20 points. Since that damaging home defeat to Swansea, the Gunners have only been derailed by the Tube strike, having won three consecutive games against West Brom, Reading and Wigan. Newcastle put in another capable performance away from home against Manchester United on Boxing Day, but they have lost seven of their last nine, with the only victories coming against relegation-threatened Wigan and Queens Park Rangers.

EARLY TEAM NEWS

Arsenal have Olivier Giroud and Tomas Rosicky available after illness. Andre Santos (stomach muscle) and midfielder Abou Diaby (thigh) are expected to return to training next week. Newcastle welcome back Cheick Tiote after suspension, but have major selection problems. Mike Williamson sits out after collecting his fifth booking of the season at Old Trafford and Vurnon Anita injured his ankle in that match. Jonas Gutierrez (knee) is another recent addition to the lengthy Newcastle injury list that includes Yohan Cabaye (groin), Hatem Ben Arfa and Steven Taylor (both hamstring) and Ryan Taylor, Dan Gosling and Haris Vuckic (all knee).

MAN IN THE MIDDLE

Taking charge of today's game is Chris Foy, who has been on the select list of referees since 2001. The Merseyside official refereed 22 games in the Premier League last season, cautioning 60 players and dismissing four others (all from the away team). Foy has seen 13 top-flight appointments so far this season and has been one of the most lenient referees, showing just 21 yellow cards and failing to send anyone off. It has been more than a year since he brandished a red card in a Premier League match, the somewhat unlucky recipient being Tottenham's Younes Kaboul at Stoke. Foy's assistants today are Stephen Child and Harry Lennard, while Anthony Taylor is the fourth official.