A historical look at Newcastle United vs. Arsenal

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 29: Theo Walcott of Arsenal celebrates scoring their fourth goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on December 29, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 29: Theo Walcott of Arsenal celebrates scoring their fourth goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on December 29, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Arsenal holds a slight edge in their all-time series against Newcastle United, due to recent domination.

Newcastle United will face Arsenal for the 179th time this weekend. The Gunners lead the all-time series, winning 74 times with 66 losses and 34 draws. The clubs first met back in 1893.

Neither side gained an upper hand early on until Newcastle United went undefeated in eight straight matches starting in 1907. They would duplicate that eight-match streak from 1922 to 1925. The clubs would battle back and forth in the FA Cup and League Division One action.

Arsenal would finally get an extended positive stretch of their own in the late 1970s. They won six straight matches, ending in 1984.

More from Newcastle Toons

The clubs first tangled in the Premier League in 1993 with Arsenal taking a 2-1 result. Newcastle United responded by taking the next four EPL fixtures. Then, the Gunners won seven of the next eight matchups. They followed that up with a 10-match unbeaten streak from 2002-2005. After Newcastle’s 1-0 victory in December of 2005, Arsenal added a nine-match unbeaten run over the Magpies.

2011 produced the best match of the series and arguably the most exciting Newcastle United match ever. Trailing 4-0 into the 68th minute, Newcastle rallied to level the match in the 87th minute on the late Cheick Tiote’s legendary strike. It’s on a very short list of matches that have featured a four-goal deficit that the trailing team secured a point in.

Newcastle got another draw the next time the clubs met but hasn’t secured a point since. That is a nine-match losing streak, including a 7-3 blowout loss in 2012. The most recent meeting was a 1-0 Arsenal win via a second-half goal from Laurent Koscielny.