Alan Shearer, a Newcastle United great, has criticised Arsenal for losing 2-0 to the Magpies in a Premier League match on Monday.
Arsenal were like rabbits caught in headlights, according to Shearer, who added that they couldn't handle under pressure against Newcastle United.
Arsenal knew they needed to win their Premier League match against Newcastle because their rivals Tottenham Hotspur had broken into the top four.
Mikel Arteta's side trailed Spurs by two points and knew that anything less than a win would jeopardise their chances of finishing in the top four.
However, a Ben White own goal and a spectacular finish from Bruno Guimares effectively ended Arsenal's chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
Shearer told Premier League Productions, "What astonished me with the Arsenal team was, on the back of such a bad performance against Tottenham" (via HITC).
What you really want and need is a game right now. We need to get that off our chests. We were all aware. Everyone understood what the atmosphere at St James' Park would be like tonight, so those players should've known, and Mikel Arteta should've known.
"I was taken aback; it appeared as if it had caught them off guard." They looked like a rabbit caught in a headlight. They had no idea what had happened to them. Arsenal couldn't handle the added pressure. That was the unexpected aspect. In 95 minutes, they didn't even put a glove on Newcastle, and things only got worse (as the match went on).