We need to do more than just respond, says Elliot

Rafa Benítez’s side fell behind to Mesut Özil’s beautifully-struck volley midway through the first half, with the Gunners firmly in the ascendancy heading into the break.

Though Elliot had to produce a fine stop to deny Jack Wilshere, Newcastle improved as time wore on, with Jacob Murphy, Joselu and Ayoze Pérez all coming close to a leveller.

However, an eighth defeat in nine outings – coupled with West Ham United’s win at Stoke City – means that the Magpies end the day in the bottom three of the Premier League, and Elliot acknowledged that they must rediscover their cutting edge in time for next Saturday’s trip to the Hammers’ London Stadium.

“You know when you come to places like Arsenal that it’s going to be tough, especially the first 15 to 20 minutes and after they got the goal,” he told nufc.co.uk. “But, I think we reacted really well, especially in the second half, when we put them under immense pressure and I think they were hanging on in the end, really, trying to run the clock down. It’s a brilliant attitude and a great response but it’s not what we need – we need points and we need to start finding a way to win. Obviously, Arsenal away is always a tough game but we’ve a few fixtures coming up now where we need to make sure we use the same attitude and the same commitment against teams that we can pick up points against.”

Newcastle’s next opponents have taken seven points from their last nine, rising to fifteenth in the standings, and Elliot is hopeful the Magpies can string together a similar set of results over the festive period.

“That’s the difference in the Premier League – if you put a good run together you can shoot up the league, like we’ve seen with Everton, West Ham and (Crystal) Palace,” he said. “We need to get those points back on the board and continue from there. Two or three wins can turn the table ‘round really quickly but we need to make sure that we show the same commitment and passion that we showed today and be a bit more ruthless in front of goal.

“When you get to this stage of the season, every game in the Premier League is a significant one. West Ham’s the next game, and we’ve got to focus fully on that and make sure we do all we can to go there and get a good result. We need to start picking up points now – no matter how or where – and stop this rut we’re in. Performances like the one today will help, because we’re not going to be playing against Arsenal every week, we’ll be playing teams in and around us.”