Newcastle have lost two successive matches across the Christmas period but it could have been a whole lot different for Alan Pardew s side.
The 1999 FA Cup runners-up led on three occasions but went on to lose 4-3 against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Boxing Day.
With scores locked at 3-3 in the dying moments, Javier Hernandez popped up to break Newcastle s hearts.
And Newcastle were involved in another high-scoring thriller with Arsenal on Saturday, suffering a mammoth 7-3 defeat.
However, the score flattered the London club with their final three goals coming in the last five minutes at Etihad Stadium, leaving Newcastle languishing in 15th position on the Premier League table, three points clear of the drop zone.
Newcastle have now shipp…
One week into the new Premier League season, momentum looked to be on the side of Mikel Arteta and Arsenal in north London.
The Gunners had ended the previous campaign by winning the FA Cup, beating Manchester City and Chelsea in the process, and then saw off champions Liverpool in the Community Shield.
After swatting aside Fulham 3-0 in their opening league fixture, Arsenal were top of the table and looking ahead to the rest of the 2020-21 season with great optimism.
Rivals Tottenham, meanwhile, having scraped into the Europa League under Jose Mourinho, lost at home to Everton, seemingly setting the stage for another difficult year.
How quickly things change. Heading into this weekend s derby, it is Spurs riding high as Arsenal languish i…