It was a crushing blow for a Newcastle United side high on confidence, after Saturday afternoon saw them brought back to reality by Arséne Wenger's Arsenal. The Magpies were seen off in convincing fashion, losing 4-1 and suffering braces at the hands of Olivier Giroud and Santi Carzorla.

"I must look at myself in terms of selection of the team"

- Alan Pardew

Alan Pardew, speaking to the press after the game, was quick to take blame for the defeat, suggesting that his selection process had been off, and bemoaning the absence of Moussa Sissoko: “We play a lot better than that usually. We missed Sissoko and I must look at myself in terms of selection of the team. We need to cope without him because he’s not going to play every week. We tried to be ambitious and if that’s a fault we have to accept that," said the Englishman.

It is hard to suggest that Pardew should not be ambitious, after his side's remarkable rise up the table, and their 2-1 victory over Chelsea - effectively ending the London club's ambitious of an unbeaten season, and pegging back their league lead at the same time. Wenger's Arsenal side have, however, woken Newcastle up from the idyllic dream they were in - and in emphatic fashion.

"Arsenal were the better side throughout the game"

- John Anderson

Ex-Newcastle defender John Anderson was far from effusive in his praise towards Wenger's side, but had no problems admitting that the London club were the better side at the end of the day: “Arsenal were the better side throughout the game, and Newcastle didn’t create a great deal. Once Arsenal went 3-0 up the confidence soared", he said. He admitted that Newcastle hardly offered much of a threat going forward, and suggested that the night had been a rough one for the players: "This has been a tough evening for them. They had a go, but the Arsenal goalkeeper wasn’t really tested.”

The victory sees Arsenal move into 6th place, three points clear of Newcastle a place below them, and Wenger will be firmly set on reaching that all-important top four position as quick as possible. After coming under fire in recent weeks, the fans were singing his name at the end of the game, and the Frenchman was quick to comment: “My job is to win football games and make people happy. I said on television, I [have] worked for 18 years in this country and I’m grateful for that," he said. Wenger as much as anyone knows that the tables can turn in an instant, however, and that he must concentrate on getting Arsenal back up the Premier League table.