Arsenal still haven’t fixed their biggest problem from last season and it almost cost Mikel Arteta

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Arsenal have returned to winning ways after landing a huge win over Newcastle, but it wasn’t all perfection.

The Gunners left it late to complete a turnaround at St. James’ Park, where Nick Woltemade’s opener was overturned by Mikel Merino and Gabriel Magalhaes late on.

With questions surrounding Arsenal’s attacking intent, there were clear signs of a team willing to throw everything at the game.

In the end, they got their reward, but it was a lot closer than it should have been.

Not least, if Arsenal managed to solve an issue that they had over the past season, which still hasn’t been fixed.

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Arsenal still struggling with defensive set-pieces after last season’s problems

Arsenal may not have needed such a dramatic turnaround had they not conceded a goal in the first half of the match.

It came from a familiar route, as Newcastle struck from a set-piece, with a cross landing on the head of Nick Woltemade.

It’s the second set-piece goal Arsenal have conceded from in the Premier League this season, continuing a trend from last campaign.

Despite being so good from attacking options, the Gunners conceded the third-most from set-pieces last season, with 14 goals.

Only Southampton (20) and Wolves (20) were worse at them last season, proving just how costly it was.

In this instance, it was almost costly for Arteta again, though his team fortunately found a way to get back into it.

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Arsenal defence just as questionable as forward ranks

Recent months have understandably brought about questions on the Arsenal forward ranks, and whether they can be freed up slightly more.

It’s clear that the Gunners need goals to win games, but the defence can be focused on as well.

On too many occasions, there were soft goals given away, especially from winning positions last season.

They cannot repeat that this time around, while there will be some hope that the forward ranks can contribute with a few more goals on their end.