20 min Madueke has a shot blocked after a useful Arsenal transition. It’s a bit of a strange game – Newcastle have had almost 60 per cent possession.

19 min Willock, who has made a lively start after his old club, lifts a curling shot from the edge of the area that is too close to Raya.

17 min The Arsenal goal has yet to change the mood. Newcastle are dominating possession, though they haven’t got behind the defence that Osula chance.

14 min In some ways, Eberechi Eze is the Matt Le Tissier of his day. He’s got the skill, the languor, the near universal popularity. And, most of all, the portfolio of absolute belters.

12 min Newcastle had been the better, more relaxed team until Arsenal starting racking up corners. It’ll be interesting to see whether that goal changes the mood as well as the scoreline.

Arsenal varied the previous short corners, with Odegaard making a dummy run towards the ball before Madueke slid a crisp pass into Havertz on the right side of the area. He laid the ball back to Eze, who curled a nonchalant beauty into the far corner with his right foot. Lovely goal.

8 min Another short corner ends with Eze, 25 yards out, cracking a left-foot shot wide of the near post. Pope had it covered.

7 min Arsenal take a short corner and make a Horlicks of it, but they win another 20 seconds later.

6 min Newcastle have started well, Arsenal have not. But they win their first corner when Havertz’s cross on the turn hits a Newcastle defender and goes behind.

4 min Newcastle win the ball high up the field. Thiaw’s clever flick finds Tonali, who lays the ball square to Bruno Guimaraes. He slaps a shot over the bar from 20 yards. A good effort but Raya had it covered.

3 min It was Joe Willock who made that chance for Osula, running at a backpedalling defence before poking a good pass down the side.

Newcastle have started in a 4-3-3 with Miley and Burn at full-back, Jacob Ramsey as the left-sided forward and Willock playing in midfield.

2 min “Popcorn sales,” begins Charles Antaki. “Well, you might be right, at least for the neutral, or indeed for the odd fan or two who may disdain City or Arsenal equally (crazy, I know). The well-prepared armchair Arsenal fan will make sure the coffee table is fully stocked with prescription drugs of the calming variety, with, on the shelf below, a pile of holiday brochures to take their mind off what will probably be a parade of unhappy images unspooling in front of them. Still, chin up for the moment.”

1 min A chance for Newcastle inside 20 seconds! Osula scorches away from Saliba and into the area, only to hack at fresh air and fall over when attempting to shoot. Replays show that the ball touched his standing foot, the right, as he shaped to shoot with his left. That’s why he ended up in a heap.

1 min Peep peep! Arsenal kick off from left to right as we watch.

The players emerge from the bowels of the Emirates on a bright spring evening in north London. This is the first of two games that Arsenal will play before City’s next Premier League match; the other is at home to Fulham this time next week. Before that, they have some semi-final to play in Madrid.

Eddie Howe speaks to Sky Sports

[On the return of Bruno Guimaraes to the starting XI] He’s such an important player for uys. He’s got the bravery to get on the ball, the creativity we’ve missed. We’ll have to manage him – I’m not sure he can play 90 minutes – but we’re really pleased to see him back.

[On making five changes, including the goalkeeper] We’ve tweaked things to try to improve the performance. Nick [Pope] is an experienced goalkeeper, Aaron [Ramsdale]’s not really very well. With the other changes, there’s also a consideration of the opposition we’re facing.

“As an Arsenal fan, I know cruel fate would never let me be free by finishing us off early; we must suffer til the last day,” weeps Zach Neeley. “So in zen-like fashion, I am free until then because if we lose so will City just to mess with us. Ohm(y god I hate this).”

Mikel Arteta’s pre-match thoughts

[On making only one change from the City game] We did a lot of great things, with some connections that we really liked througout the game.

[On how long Bukayo Saka might be able to play from the bench] We will see how the game goes. We have alternatives in the front line to change the game; we’ll use them in the right way.

[On the five-game sprint with City] We need to do everything that is in our hands. Play in the manner we have all season, with the same intensity, the same quality, the same commitment. We know what’s at stake so it doesn’t get much better than that.

[Does the situation give you freedom and clarity?] So much! Because all you can do is win game one. If we do that we are in a great position. We need a fast start.

The Premier League table

“The Smiths?” muses Peter Oh. “Well, if Newcastle win today, Arsenal fans will probably start humming I Know It’s Over.”

Let’s be honest: if Newcastle win today, Arsenal fans won’t be short of Smiths songs that capture the mood.

Bayern Munich, the team Arsenal may yet face in the Champions League final, have been involved in some Bundesliga hijinks this afternoon.

Some exclusive transfer news involving the team directly below Arsenal in the table

Manchester United have identified Éderson, the Atalanta midfielder, as a potential recruit to fill the gap left by Casemiro’s summer departure, with the 26-year-old Brazilian valued at €40m-50m (£35m-£45m).

United’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, is an admirer of Éderson and is monitoring the Brazil international after drawing up a list of potential replacements for Casemiro.

Jonathan Liew begins his new series of Smiths-themed columns with a look at life in north London.

(Next week, he asks whether the ghost of Troubled Jô is haunting Everton’s centre-forwards.)

Newcastle’s formation could be the usual 4-3-3, something like this: Pope; Miley, Thiaw, Botman, Burn; Bruno Guimaraes, Tonali, Ramsey; J Murphy, Osula, Willock.

We’ll have the team news shortly. In the meantime, here’s some positive squad news for Arsenal fans.