Five years ago, few Newcastle fans could have foreseen a heated rivalry with Arsenal, but they might be grateful for it now.From the outside looking in, it would appear the Magpies have little left to play for after a miserable season which sees them languishing in 14th in the Premier League table.Newcastle head in to this weekend’s clash with Arsenal off the back of three straight league defeatsGettyWith five games left to play, Eddie Howe‘s side trail seventh-place Bournemouth by seven points, which is the last guaranteed place for Conference League football.And while many might expect their players to take their foot off the gas as their season starts to peter out, they might find just enough motivation for their next clash.Newcastle travel to Arsenal on Saturday in a game the hosts cannot afford to lose.The Gunners welcome the Toon Army after being knocked off top spot in midweek by Manchester City for the first time since early October.It’s fair to say the Magpies would love to dent a serious blow to Arsenal’s title hopes, with the two becoming bitter rivals in the years since the Toon Army’s £300million takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in October 2021.During this time, Newcastle have gatecrashed English football’s established elite, dragging Arsenal into a feud that has seen players come to blows, touchline clashes between managers and an infamous post-match interview from Mikel Arteta back in 2023.But how exactly did we get here? talkSPORT has taken a look at the moments that have created a heated modern rivalry.The birth of a rivalry: Time-wasting, touchline clashes and tensionThe recent ill-feeling between the two teams began when Newcastle effectively ended Arsenal’s Champions League qualification hopes at the end of 2021/22 season.A 2-0 victory for the Magpies took the Gunners’ top-four hopes out of their hands, and they ultimately went on to finish fifth.Things then went up a notch in January 2023, when Howe’s side held the north Londoners to a 0-0 draw at the Emirates. GettyEddie Howe and Mikel Arteta have had their fair share of run-ins in recent years[/caption]AFPArsenal and Newcastle’s feud began when the Gunners fumed at injustice in a 0-0 draw in January 2023[/caption]But it was the manner of the draw which left Arsenal seething, who took exception to Newcastle’s time-wasting tactics.The Gunners were then angered further after their late penalty appeal for a handball was not awarded by referee Andy Madley, and VAR did not intervene.This led to Arteta and Howe exchanging heated words on the touchline, with the pair being separated by officials.Afterwards, the Arsenal boss gave a furious post-match interview, as he raged over the decision and hit out at Newcastle’s tactics.Arteta fumed: “We had so many situations and then we had two scandalous penalties. “They are two penalties, it’s very simple. I’m talking about what I’ve seen, now, and it’s two scandalous penalties. GettyArteta and Howe’s coaching team have been separated by officials more than once[/caption]Arsenal’s 2-0 win in the reverse fixture saw Eddie Nketiah and Fabian Schar get in a scuffleGetty Images - Getty“I am not sure why they set up like that. They haven’t set up like that against any team this season.”The reverse fixture delivered even more drama, as Arsenal returned the favour in a 2-0 victory St James’ Park in May 2023.After the match, Howe claimed the Gunners had slowed the game down, with the result leaving his side scrambling to hold on to a top four spot.The Englishman said: “They slowed it down. Lots of breaks in play, frustrating for us. Naturally, we wanted the ball in play more, especially when you’re chasing the game.”November 2023 – Arteta’s outburstThe tension between Arsenal and Newcastle reached boiling point in November 2023, when the Magpies claimed a controversial 1-0 win.Anthony Gordon‘s 64th-minute strike proved to be winner, surviving three separate VAR checks to rule whether the ball went out of play, if there was a foul in the build-up and for a possible offside.Anthony Gordon’s winning goal against Arsenal in November 2023 was riddled with controversyGettyThe Gunners fumed at the officials, before their manager did the same in his post-match interviewGettyReplays appeared to show the ball going out of play before Joe Willock hauled it back in and then crossed for Gordon to fire home.This sparked arguably one of the most explosive post-match interviews in recent years, as Arteta unleashed a furious rant in which he slammed the standard of officiating, labelling it a ‘disgrace’.He said: “We lost the match because of the clear and obvious decisions. It’s embarrassing. A disgrace. That’s what it is — a disgrace. “You cannot imagine the amount of messages I got saying this cannot continue. I am wasting my time. We are wasting our time. I don’t want to be in the hands of people.”Recent clashes – More touchline drama and Carabao Cup heartache While the rivalry may have peaked with Arteta’s infamous 2023 rant, tensions have certainly remained between the two teams since then.Arsenal gained revenge for their VAR controversy by hammering Newcastle 4-1 in the return clash at the Emirates in February 2024, but more drama was in store in the following season.GettyNewcastle beat Arsenal 2-0 in both legs of their 2025 Carabao Cup semi-final[/caption]Tempers have flared between Arsenal and Newcastle in recent years, most recently in last season’s clash at the EmiratesGettyA 1-0 home victory for Newcastle in November 2024 saw Arteta clash with Magpies assistant Jason Tindall, with the pair having to be separated.There was more misery in store for the Gunners last season, as they were then thumped 4-0 on aggregate by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on their way to winning the competition.And while Arsenal got payback by beating the Toon Army 1-0 at the Emirates in May 2025, it wasn’t without its controversy.With Arteta’s side looking to see the game out after Declan Rice‘s 55th-minute strike, they took to slowing the game down, prompting Dan Burn to clash with goalkeeper David Raya over the tactics.This soon escalated into a full-blown scuffle, as players from both sides charging in pushing and shoving, but no cards were shown.There was more drama when the two sides met at St James’ Park earlier this season, as a late Gabriel Magalhaes header granted Arsenal a 2-1 victory.With arguably the biggest meeting between the two sides coming this weekend, it would be no surprise if tempers flared once again.