Arsenal star 'plays like a headless chicken' and proves Theo Walcott right

Theo Walcott's prediction came true as Arsenal sorely missed Bukayo Saka in their Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat to Newcastle.

The Magpies secured a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium, gaining a significant advantage for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Alexander Isak capitalised on a loose ball from a long free-kick, and Anthony Gordon doubled their lead by seizing a rebound.

Gabriel Martinelli hit the outside of the post in the first half when he was one-on-one with Martin Dubravka, and Kai Havertz sent a free header wide of the post from close range, leaving Arsenal wanting.

They will travel to St James' Park for the second leg on February 5, facing a steep uphill battle to reach the final at Wembley.

Saka, who has nine goals and 13 assists in 24 games this season, is out with a hamstring injury, passing the attacking responsibility to Martinelli, Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard on Tuesday night.

Despite scoring in the 3-1 win at Brentford last week, Martinelli's performance against Newcastle lacked quality. Mikel Arteta deployed him on the left and chose Trossard for the right, but the Arsenal manager's decision did not pay off.

Martinelli's miss in the first half was a crucial moment for Arsenal, who repeatedly saw their crosses into the box cleared by Newcastle's solid defence.

Former Arsenal star Walcott kept a keen eye on the match, delivering forthright analysis on Martinelli pre-kick-off for Sky Sports.

"I've said this because he's a player that at times can be a bit like a headless chicken, I do feel like. I was sometimes head down. Use your strengths, which is his pace," Walcott said.

"When you're one-on-one, I get sick to death when players give it back to the full-back and expect him to do something.

"I'm like 'You're a forward player, you do that job, you do the gifts that god gave you that got you to become a professional footballer'."

Despite an energetic display in the closing stages with crosses peppering the box, Martinelli couldn’t convert his efforts into shots on target, failing to hit the mark from three attempts and not managing a single dribble.

Last month, following a 5-1 triumph over Crystal Palace, Mikel Arteta had strong belief in Martinelli’s ability to fill in for the absent Saka.

The Spaniard said: "He had a big impact in the game [against Palace] and like other players, everyone is going to have to add something else because Bukayo, who we rely a lot on, is not going to be with us.

"Gabi loves it. Gabi, you put him a challenge and he wants to do it today if he can. So, I think he's a player that likes responsibility, that likes a bigger role. So, again, it's for all of them up front to take responsibility now."