Arsenal ended last season with a nerve-racking 1-0 win at Newcastle. Once again, nails were bitten to the quick, as Arsenal ground out a 1-0 against an impressive Newcastle side, which means the Gunners end 2013 as the league leaders.

Wojciech Szczesny - 6 – The Pole almost made a howler by gifting a goal to Loic Remy, and one worries that he'll make a mistake that will cost Arsenal points at some stage. However, he was solid otherwise, and made a crucial punch when Newcastle had a corner with the last attack of the game.

Bacary Sagna – 8 – His crossing wasn't at its usual standard, but Sagna was a willing passing option for his teammates. And his defending was magnificent, making two key interventions from Newcastle crosses. He was just an important playing centre-half as he was at right-back.

Per Mertesacker – 7 – He had a couple of awkward one vs one moments against Remy, but the captain responded well. His positioning was faultless, evinced by him making 16 clearances, more than any other player. He really came to the fore in the second-half, as Newcastle carpet-bombed the Arsenal box with crosses.

Laurent Koscielny – 7 – Koscielny gave the ball away on a couple of occasions that could been costly, but the Frenchman was immaculate in defence otherwise. His two interceptions prevented Remy breaking clear on goal, and he appears to have fully recovered from his injury against Manchester City.

Kieran Gibbs – 6 – Much like Ashley Cole before him, Gibbs often functions as an extra attacker, and his fine passing is a key facet of his game. However, Gibbs distribution was uncharacteristically poor – with a pass success of only 73%. He also had a real battle against Moussa Sissoko, and could have been struggling with an injury, as he left the pitch after 70 minutes.

Mathieu Flamini – 7 – While Arsenal laboured in attack, Flamini was an important component in how solid the Gunners were defensively. He provided a crucial bulwark, and also laid a good foundation when Arsenal had the ball. A pass success of 95% showed how well the Frenchman used the ball. Slotted in at left-back when Gibbs was substituted.

Jack Wilshere – 6 – Showed plenty of industry when Newcastle pressured late on, and provided a nice through-pass to Theo Walcott which should have resulted in a second goal. But Wilshere found it tough to find space, and gave the ball away too often. He needs to learn to stop running down blind alleys.

Theo Walcott – 6 – He failed to affect the game much in open play, although a good goalline clearance denied him a goal. However, while a peripheral presence for much of the contest, his assist for the deciding goal was a well executed set-piece.

Tomas Rosicky – 6 – Regulated possession well in the early stages, and his energy was crucial when Arsenal fought to hold on to the 1-0 lead. He ended up being more effective as a defensive force than an attacking one, although he put in a series of challenges that could have seen him in trouble with a different referee.

Santi Cazorla – 6 –  Normally such a reliable user of the ball, Cazorla was disappointing today. He failed to make good use of possession in the final third, and buzzed around pretty ineffectively. However, he does deserve credit for winning the free-kick that led to the goal.

Olivier Giroud – 6 – When appraising Giroud, we often laud his link-up play, while decrying his finishing. However, today his leading of the line was below par, but he was in the right place to make the decisive contribution to the match. The Frenchman took a couple of nasty knocks, and was limping before he was substituted. He may need a rest on New Year's Day.

SUBS

Mikel Arteta – N/A – His experience was important in helping preserve the 1-0

Carl Jenkinson – N/A – Made some good interventions late on.

Nicklas Bendtner –  N/A – Didn't let anyone down.

It's the old cliché of winning when not playing well. Newcastle were good value for a point. But the difference between good teams, and the best ones, are finding ways to gain points which you haven't earned. Arsenal will need to raise their level soon, but until then, wins such as the one at St. James Park should leave Gooners in good heart going into the New Year.

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