A little bit of a boycott and an awful lot of rain ensured that Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United reign began in downbeat mode as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang emphasised his enduring importance to
Arsenal by cutting through the gloom and registering an exquisitely incisive winner.
If it hardly bodes well for Bruce that Unai Emery’s supposedly vulnerable backline managed that real north Londoner’s collector’s item, a clean sheet on the road, at least the sight of the watching Andy Carroll keeping his ponytail dry by wearing a
baseball cap emblazoned with the word “Icon” hinted at the prospect of potentially better days ahead.