Anthony Elanga scored his first Newcastle goal with the Magpies’ first attack to put Eddie Howe’s side ahead after six minutes of their pre-season friendly against Arsenal at the Singapore National Stadium on Sunday.
Winger Elanga, who joined for £55 million from Nottingham Forest earlier this month, met Sandro Tonali’s cross from the right with a scuffed first-time strike inside the box on his first start for his new club in the culmination of a slick move.
The goal was the first Arsenal have conceded in pre-season following their dominant 1-0 win over Milan at the same setting on Wednesday and represented an encouraging response from Newcastle following their 4-0 thrashing at Celtic last Saturday, when Elanga was lively after coming on as a half-time substitute.
Arsenal vs Newcastle: Elanga strikes
Arsenal did much of the attacking either side of the goal but Newcastle were at their flowing best for the opener, moving play from left to right through Anthony Gordon and William Osula before Kieran Trippier located Tonali with an incisive pass.
Italy playmaker Tonali tested David Raya shortly afterwards by drilling in a low shot that the Arsenal goalkeeper descended to claim, and Gunners defender Ben White blasted a shot over the crossbar when the ball fell kindly for the former England international inside the box.
Osula, a 21-year-old signed from Sheffield United for £15 million in 2024, also led the line for Newcastle in the first half at Celtic and is one of Howe’s few alternative out-and-out strikers to Alexander Isak, who has not joined their trip to Asia with a purported injury concern and interest from Liverpool.
Arsenal newcomer Viktor Gyokeres watched on after the Sweden striker completed a switch from Sporting for up to £64 million on Saturday.
Arsenal lineup vs Newcastle
Arsenal made changes to their starting side from the victory over Milan, with Christian Norgaard – signed from Brentford for a fee of up to £15 million – on the bench this time.
Martin Zubimendi, who arrived from Real Sociedad for £60m on July 6, was in their line-up, as was fellow Spain midfielder Mikel Merino.
Noni Madueke joined for an initial £48m from Chelsea last week but was not involved because the England forward is being allowed extra rest time following his involvement in the 2025 Club World Cup.
Former Spain international Kepa Arrizabalaga, who remains the world’s most expensive goalkeeper thanks to the £72m fee Chelsea paid Athletic Club for him in 2018, has also signed for £5m from the Blues and was on the bench.
Kepa made three saves in a pre-arranged penalty shootout against Milan, although Arsenal lost 6-5.
Gabriel Jesus remains out with a knee injury sustained in January but the striker has posted Instagram updates showing him working in the gym.
Arsenal starting XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly; Merino, Zubiendi, Nwaneri; Saka, Trossard, Havertz
Arsenal substitutes: Kepa, Setford, Rojas-Fedorushchenko, Nichols, Salmon, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Norgaard, Lokonga, Copley, Rice, Dowman, Odegaard, Kabia, Nelson, Martinelli
Newcastle lineup vs Arsenal
Newcastle brought in the likes of Tonali and Gordon, while new signing Seung-Soo Park – a highly-rated 18-year-old South Korean forward – was in their matchday squad for the first time.
A former Derby County loanee from the Blades, Osula is yet to start a Premier League game, although he scored his first top-flight goal against Ipswich Town in April and has been prolific for Denmark at Under-21 level.
Newcastle starting XI: Pope; Trippier, Lascelles, Burn, A Murphy; Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock; Elanga, Osula, Gordon
Newcastle substitutes: Vlachodimos, Ruddy, Botman, Schar, Targett, Krafth, Livramento, Ashby, Joelinton, Miley, Harrison, Hernes, Munda, Barnes, Seung-soo Park, J Murphy, Neave
Is Arsenal vs Newcastle on TV? How to watch live streams online
The game started at 12:30 BST (07:30 ET / 04:30 PT) on Sunday and is being shown live on Arsenal.com and Arsenal’s official app and Newcastle’s website.
Arsenal charge £6.99 for the game or offer a Pre-Season Pass providing access to the stream and live coverage of three subsequent matches against Tottenham, Athletic Club and Villarreal for £14.99.
Newcastle charge between £4.99 and £6.99, with passes to watch seven pre-season games ranging from £7.99 to £29.99, depending on whether viewers have memberships with the club.
When does Arsenal’s 2025/26 Premier League season start?
The first round of Premier League matches in 2025/26 will be on the weekend of August 16 2025, including Arsenal’s trip to Manchester United on Sunday, August 17 at 16:30 BST.
The game against the 2024/25 Europa League finalists is being shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League, Ultra and Main Event.
The last round of matches this season will all start at the same time on May 24 2026. No rounds will take place within 60 hours of each other and there will be no fixture on December 24.
When does Newcastle’s 2025/26 Premier League season start?
Newcastle’s opening trip to Aston Villa is on Sunday, August 17 at 12:30 BST.
The game against the Villans, who Newcastle pipped to a place in this season’s Champions League, will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate.
