Full time: Newcastle 0 Arsenal 1

Graeme Souness commented:

"What we have been guilty of is showing great commitment and then giving a daft goal away. That would allow us to maybe feel sorry for ourselves or drop down a yard or whatever.

"But I cannot complain about the commitment I have had from the players. We were playing against a very good team, we have matched them challenge for challenge, effort and on another night, we go away with a win or a draw.

"We are going away with nothing and it is hard to take, but that is football sometimes.

"I am entitled to feel hard done to because I think we deserved something from the game, not just because of the penalty. The amount of effort we put in deserved something from the game.

"For our part, when we got into the final third, our final ball was not telling enough, we were not picking people out when we got in behind them, and if we had done that, we would be sitting here with at least a point.

"We should have had something from the game. I felt we were better than them tonight. We had most of the possession against them, we huffed and puffed, maybe we should have done more with the final ball when we got there.

"We dominated the midfield which is a big ask against Arsenal who are particularly strong in there. I'm really proud of them tonight but I'm frustrated again because we've gone away with nothing."

On the penalty claim:

"I thought it was a penalty."

Steven Taylor told the Chronicle:

"I thought we played very well. It was a great team performance. We were very unlucky not to come away with any points. They scored in the last few seconds of the first half and from our point of view that was disappointing.

"But it was a good stepping stone and things can only get better. Hopefully we can start picking up points on Saturday against Birmingham. There's no reason why we can't - just look at the players we've got in our squad.

"It wasn't just the defence that played well. The midfield and attack did as well. We played well throughout the park. We did really well.

"They were on the back foot and you could see their reaction at the end. They celebrated like they had won the FA Cup. It has given us a boost for Saturday.

"The fans were unbelievable. They were great at half-time and they gave us a standing ovation when we left the pitch. After the game they were fantastic even though we lost.

"To keep my place in the team and play against the players out there, like Thierry Henry and Robert Pires, was unbelievable. I didn't want Pires to think he had an easy game, and I put my foot in. I think what happened for the booking is that the referee saw me tackle him before and waited for me to do it again. I think it was a bit harsh.

"There was more banter than anything with Thierry Henry. He was good to talk to. To play against him was an honour for me. It can only boost my confidence."

Arsene Wenger said:

"Newcastle, in my opinion, are a good side and if they play with that spirit every game, I cannot imagine that they will lose games like they have done recently if they keep going like they did.

"They never gave up, they fought like mad until the last minute and the went for every ball for 90 minutes. I feel it was a very difficult victory for us.

"It is good because it shows as well that we had lost confidence for a while at the back, and the fact that we have had three clean sheets encourages the players to keep defending well.

"At the moment, especially when you play away from home in a game like that where Newcastle went for every ball, the confidence plays a big part.

"We focus on our side and the way we want to play and our target is to do as well as we can until the end of the season. There's such a long time to go, so many games to play, it's too early to focus on the results of the other teams.

"I'm very confident, the desire and hunger in the team is stronger than ever. I feel it will be a tight fight until the end. I felt it was a big physical game - I felt we needed to be very strong.

"We got slowly stronger and stronger and I felt we dealt well with the set-piece situations tonight. I feel it'll be a tight fight until the end. We're coming back into good form.

"I feel that the most important thing is that you're in the right frame of mind with the right belief and the right desire. I believe we have a good chance to do it, and let the best team win it.

"The most important is that it is interesting for everybody in England and that's good for football."

Ashley Cole said:

"You have to give them credit, they didn't give up. The lads played well."

About the penalty claim:

"It did hit my hand but he pushed me first. My first instinct was, 'I've got a free-kick'. Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes it's not."

Goalscorer Vieira commented:

"Robin (van Persie) gave me the ball and I took my chance and the ball deflected and it went into the net. I think it was the perfect time to score, just before half-time.

"I think as a team it was a fantastic performance. I think we showed good character today and if we keep playing like that, fighting like that, I think we've got a good chance at the end of the season.

"We just have to take it game after game and I'm sure it'll be really tight. We just have to believe in ourselves like in the last few games and take it game after game."

Sixth Premiership appearance for defender Steven Taylor - and he's yet to finish on the winning side.

This was our 57th game of the year and 28th on home soil. 

16 victories were recorded at SJP, along with 7 draws and 5 defeats - at the hands of Spurs, Fulham, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Away from home we managed to win 7 times (Southampton twice, Palace, Mallorca, Sakhnin, Panionios and Sochaux), draw 13 and lose 9.

It was the Premiership's final game of 2004 and the 200th of the season.

(stats refer to all competitions)

Gunners on Tyneside - Premiership years

2004/05: Lost 0-1 No scorer
2003/04: Drew 0-0 No scorer
2002/03: Drew 1-1 Robert
2001/02: Drew 1-1 Robert
2001/02: Lost 0-2 No scorer
2000/01: Drew 0-0 No scorer
1999/00: Won 4-2 Speed 2, Shearer, Griffin
1998/99: Drew 1-1 Hamann
1997/98: Lost 0-1 No scorer
1996/97: Lost 1-2 Shearer
1995/96: Won 2-0 Ginola, Ferdinand
1994/95: Won 1-0 Beardsley
1993/94: Won 2-0 Cole, Beardsley 

At this time of wall-to-wall films on TV, our own contribution to the festive schedules proved not to be the disaster movie predicted by many and instead was something of an epic, albeit one without a happy ending for home supporters.

But at the end of ninety engrossing minutes, the sight and sound of a beaten Newcastle side being applauded from the St.James' pitch told the story of this encounter far better than a cursory glance at the scoreline might suggest.

Those same failings across the field that have plagued us recently remain, but a rediscovery of our work ethic and at least a semblance of team spirit saw us give the reigning champions more of a game than most expected - including one suspects, Arsenal themselves.

And many among the previously-moribund ranks of Newcastle fans responded in kind, cajoling and willing their favourites on throughout the game without getting on their backs. 

For once our home crowd had venom in their throats, but it wasn't being directed at our own players - rather the hapless referee who turned a blind eye while our opponents scythed down Newcastle players with impunity, proving equally incapable of curbing the latest brand of North London gamesmanship or spotting blatant handballs.

Make no mistake; as we've mentioned before in these pages, nothing stokes up the natives of St.James' like a good old-fashioned grievance. 

Bad decisions, bias, cheating, call it what you will, but the combination of a well-oiled holiday crowd, a full house in a night game, some proper opposition and the feeling we're being wronged has a positive effect on rallying troops to the cause. 

In that respect, pantomime villains like Ashley Cole and Steve Bennett were as vital to the proceedings as our defence.   

Don't run away though with the notion that we played well -to be strictly accurate, we competed well.

But the undeniable truth is that the unknown quantity that is Arsenal's new Spanish 'keeper remained virtually untested as we were found wanting in the creativity - and luck - department.

However in terms of sheer effort and guts, we deserved a share of the spoils. It's been too long since anyone could write that and mean it over a full 90 minutes where Newcastle are concerned. 

We've often criticised Ameobi for his languidness and apparent lack of effort, but tonight he grappled against almost overwhelming odds - at times trying to elude the attentions of a trio of defenders, as he led the line alone, while Bellamy and Robert tucked in on the flanks as a first line of defence against Gunners raids down the flanks - but at the cost of goalscoring opportunities.

In midfield, Dyer gave the sort of performance that we're often promised but seldom blessed with - not world-class as (wrongly) claimed by some colleagues. Industrious and valuable yes - good enough to get into Wenger's team, no. 

Jenas was busy and Bowyer was involved throughout the game and couldn't be faulted for his chasing and harrying....although passing is another matter. 

However we had too much on our plate to create enough scoring opportunities, wasted the few chances that came our way and spurned the awards of free kicks and corners as a means of seriously pressurising the visiting defence.

That's why some players will rightly be leaving soon - one good night not wiping out many staggeringly average ones.     

Of course it wouldn't be Newcastle if there weren't elements of low comedy and farce involved - a side that have played like strangers for game after game suddenly finding some cohesion just before being broken up, for instance. 

Or a side going in at the interval behind after successfully denying their opponents sight of goal, only to concede a goal on the cusp of half time set up and executed with the aid of unwitting deflections. 

Just bloody typical. 

Tonight was a welcome and overdue reminder of why people bother themselves to support this club - a proper match, some evident effort and commitment - in short, an occasion. 

We may not have not been good enough to win anything for 35 years, but in that time we've had our share of heroes and entertainment. That's been enough for successive generations of supporters to have filled this ground, providing support to a club that were once renowned for winning things but are now almost as famous for being perennially potless.

The improvement in quality and results still has to come, but at least tonight we showed something of the attitude required of a Newcastle team by a Newcastle crowd. 

It's imperative that crowd and players to start off where we left off here against Birmingham, but with a little more directness and guile - and to simply go at Bruce's boys until they buckle.

Howay the lads.  

Biffa

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