COMMENT

Newcastle United saw themselves slip to a place above the relegation zone after suffering a 1-0 defeat away to Arsenal on Saturday.

The Gunners' German playmaker Mesut Ozil gave the home side the lead in the first half thanks to a sublime volley from just inside the box, after the Magpies had failed to clear their lines.

His strike was all that was needed for Arsenal to take the three points away from the Emirates, which sees Newcastle's disastrous recent form continue.

The Magpies came into the clash on an eight game winless run, having picked up just a solitary point from a possible 24, with the 2-2 draw against West Brom coming among six defeats to their Premier League rivals.

Arsenal meanwhile came into the clash off the back of two successive draws, although had won each of the last nine games they had played against the Magpies.

So who shone for the Magpies at the Emirates Stadium and who let the Toon Army down?

Here, Football Insider rates each of the Magpies' stars out of 10, handing one speed machine a bitterly disappointing 4/10 after going through the clash as an anonymous bystander.

Click below to reveal the first of our ratings...

Goalkeeper and defenders

Rob Elliot - 6: Back into the side after Karl Darlow's disastrous mistake against Everton, the Republic of Ireland international showed why he is deserving of his spot in the line up. Could do nothing for Ozil's thunderous goal, but was fast to react to deny Arsenal on several other occasions.

DeAndre Yedlin - 5: After what had been a bright attacking performance from the American against the Toffees, he was certainly more subdued on Saturday. He sat a lot deeper and was not really given the opportunity to utilise his blistering pace against the Arsenal back line.

Jamaal Lascelles - 7: Like a rock at the back, it is clear just how much Newcastle have missed his presence. Commands his defence so well, it took a piece of brilliance to break through.

Florian Lejeune - 6: There have been questions over the Frenchman's ability but this was was one of his better performances for the Magpies. He was unlucky to see his clearing header fall to Ozil for the opening strike, and was dominant in the air against the Gunners' attack.

Javier Manquillo - 6: Much like Yedlin, he was not given the opportunity to break forward as much as he would have liked, as the Magpies found themselves penned in by Arsenal.

Click below to reveal the ratings of the Newcastle midfielders...

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Midfielders

Isaac Hayden - 5: The chosen replacement for Jonjo Shelvey after his midfield counterpart's red card against Everton, he was feisty against his old club. Earned himself a booking after a series of fouls, but was otherwise pretty resolute in the centre of the park.

Mikel Merino - 7: The Magpies' star performer at the Emirates. His energy was second to none and he was here, there and everywhere to try and get Newcastle a positive result. Was not afraid to throw himself into challenges and his physicality made it difficult for Arsenal to rid him of possession when on the ball.

Jacob Murphy - 5: Started bright against the Gunners but found his impact wain as the game went on. Newcastle needed his pace for the counter attacking style employed by Benitez, and he managed to fashion a couple of chances before being replaced by Dwight Gayle.

Christian Atsu - 4: A regular for the Magpies this season, he was completely anonymous for this clash as the counter attacking tactics failed to come off. Replaced by Matt Ritchie shortly after the half time break.

Click below to reveal the ratings for the Newcastle forwards...

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Forwards

Ayoze Perez - 5: The key figure to launch Newcastle's counter attacks, he found himself dominated by the Arsenal midfielders. He lacked the physicality to have the desired impact, but still did his best to hassle and harry the Gunners when they were in possession.

Joselu - 5: This was always going to be a difficult match for the Magpies' attackers to make any sort of impression but there would have still been more hope for Joselu's performance. The Spaniard did not have the physical presence or the turn of pace to worry Arsenal's defenders, and he was left up front acting as a body, rather than any actual threat.

Click below to reveal how the Newcastle substitutes got on...

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Substitutes

Matt Ritchie - 6: Dropped after a series of sub-par performances in recent weeks, his arrival coincided with one of Newcastle's best spells during the match. Saw a vicious effort blaze over the bar in a good position, when he would have been expected to have been testing Petr Cech.

Dwight Gayle - 5: Brought on with 20 minutes to play, he would have been hoping to have had more of an impact than this. Absolutely nothing to show for his display other than a couple of battles with the Arsenal defence.

In other Newcastle United news,

Kieron Dyer has revealed his verdict on the club’s survival hopes

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