Vermaelen leaves it late for Arsenal

London, England – Thomas Vermaelen scored deep into stoppage 1 win over Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium on Monday.

The two sides traded first-half goals within one minute of each other, with Arsenal taking control after halftime but failing to capitalize.

But just when it looked like the two sides were headed for a draw, Theo Walcott's right-wing cross was flicked on to the back post for an open Vermaelen to fire past goalkeeper Tim Krul from a few yards.

Newcastle took the lead after 14 minutes through Hatem Ben Arfa, who took a pass on the wing and cut inside before beating goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny at his near post.

But Arsenal responded straight away as Walcott's low cross from the right wing found Robin van Persie inside the area. The Dutchman turned with the ball to avoid a defender and drove a left-footed shot past the onrushing Krul, leveling the match just 53 seconds after Arsenal went behind.

The Gunners took over after the break but couldn't make the most of their chances with Tomas Rosicky badly scuffing a shot from eight yards while Gervinho missed the net from inside the six-yard box.

Vermaelen had a headed effort tipped over the crossbar by Krul in the 90th minute, but just when Newcastle looked poised to hang on for a point, Vermaelen pounced to help Arsenal claim a fifth straight win.

Arsene Wenger's side moves to within one point of third-place Tottenham with the result, while Newcastle falls eight points back of Arsenal in a bid for fourth.