Steve Bruce has admitted he would not have expected Newcastle and Arsenal to head into the final third of the Premier League season separated only by goal difference. The Gunners, who dispensed with the services of manager Unai Emery at the end of November and handed the reins to Mikel Arteta, currently sit in 10th place in the table as one of four teams, along with Burnley, the Magpies and Southampton, to have taken 31 points from their opening 25 games. That may reflect Arsenal’s underachievement as much as it does Newcastle’s resilience, but Bruce is convinced it simply proves how testing the English top flight is as the sides prepare to meet at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Asked...
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