Eddie Howe made a big call before his first away match as Newcastle manager, bringing in Martin Dubravka for Karl Darlow.
Darlow looked nervous in the 3-3 draw against Brentford last time around, making an error which led to a goal.
Speaking to the press after the game, Howe praised Dubravka’s display on his return to the side.
Dubravka made some good saves in the first half but perhaps could have done slightly better on Arsenal’s goals.
At his post-match press conference, Howe said: “Going through the game, I thought there were some very positive signs today.
“Martin Dubravka, coming back into the team, I thought he did very, very well today. Coming to Arsenal, you know you’re going to need a good defensive display and for the first 30 minutes I thought we were very good.”
Speaking to the club website after the match, Howe added: “It was a tough call because Karl is a top goalkeeper as well. We’re very fortunate to have two great number ones really.
“Martin made a number of great saves. You know coming here he’s going to have to play well for us to get anything and he did play well and he was unfortunate to be on the losing side today.”
Howe was clearly pleased with Dubravka after taking the decision to bring him back into the side.
Dubravka will expect to stay in the side for the huge clash against Norwich on Tuesday.
For that one, Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie are suspended because of an accumulation of yellow cards, so Howe will need to shuffle his pack once again.
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