Newcastle defender Dan Burn had no complaints over Arsenal’s streetwise tactics after a tooth-and-nail Premier League battle at St James’ Park. The Gunners emerged from Sunday’s fiercely-contested encounter on Tyneside with a 2-0 victory on an afternoon when anything less would have all but handed the title to leaders Manchester City. In doing so, they dealt a blow to the Magpies’ Champions League qualification hopes in a game punctuated by frequent delays in play and ill-tempered confrontations which prevented the home side from establishing a rhythm, something they themselves had been accused of doing in the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium in January. But, asked about Arsenal’s approach, Burn said: “Of course it’s frustrating, but that’s what they said we did at their place. We get a lot of stick for slowing the game down, which I don’t know if we intentionally do all the time. “They did that, but it’s part and parcel of football. We can’t do it and then complain when it happens to us. “A lot of teams tend to do that now when they feel the energy of the crowd, they try and stifle it a little bit. “When a team like Arsenal is coming here and doing that, it’s a compliment.” Newcastle set off with high hopes of repeating their 2-0 home win over the Gunners last season and might have been on their way in front of an expectant home crowd had Jacob Murphy’s early shot not come back off a post or had referee Chris Kavanagh not been advised to review his decision to award a penalty for handball against Jakub Kiwior. In the event, they were undone by Martin Odegaard’s first-half strike and Fabian Schar’s unfortunate own goal. Burn said: “We knew it wasn’t going to be the same as last season, where we played them off the park. They’re a lot better this year and they’ve shown that all season. “They’ve been unlucky that City have overtaken them, but they’re a very good team who caused us problems, especially at home. We’re just unfortunate we couldn’t get the win.” We’re disappointed, but we’ve got four games to go and it’s still in our hands Newcastle defender Dan Burn Manchester United’s defeat at West Ham means Newcastle remain two points clear in third place with four games remaining, although with Liverpool and Brighton making concerted bids to reel them in. Burn said: “We’re disappointed, but we’ve got four games to go and it’s still in our hands.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lionel Messi back in training with PSG after ban for Saudi Arabia trip ‘It’s in our hands’: Erik Ten Hag not panicking over Man United’s top-four hopes Michael Flynn named new Swindon manager on two-year deal

A Manchester City fans group has accused the Football Association of “doing the bare minimum” in amending the Community Shield kick-off time and called for a further change. The 1894 group urged supporters to boycott the treble winners’ season-opener against Arsenal at Wembley on August 6 after it was originally scheduled for 5.30pm on Sunday, August 6. After this and other complaints, the FA, in conjunction with broadcaster ITV, moved the game to 4pm. This has not gone far enough for some fans and, while they are no longer expecting a “full boycott”, 1894 still feels the kick-off should be brought forward again by another hour. A statement from the group, issued via the Football Supporters’ Association, read: “We repeat our request to the FA and to ITV to help more fans attend the game by bringing the kick-off time to 3pm. “In the eyes of many fans, the very quick decision to move the game from 5.30pm to 4pm and hastily-arranged PR releases from the FA came across as them doing the bare minimum and expecting a round of applause for the decision. “The subsequent statement from the FA said 4pm was agreed after consultation with the police, the local council and the broadcaster (ITV). However, the most important stakeholder was not consulted… the fans!” Travel arrangements for Wembley fixtures have been a recurring source of frustration for north west teams in recent seasons. Late kick-offs leave supporters travelling by rail limited time to get back to stations before the final trains north and there are general concerns about arriving home late at night and the high costs involved. These issues have been exacerbated for some high-profile fixtures by rail strikes and engineering works. The 1894 statement added: “We feel 3pm is a fair request to the authorities to allow more people to travel back at a sensible time. “To expect 30,000 fans to travel back north late on a Sunday evening is unfair. Wembley is a great, iconic venue but there are challenges getting to and from there, so we call on ITV and the FA to help our fans in particular by offering an earlier kick-off which allows families to attend.” The group is still encouraging fans not to attend the game and support local foodbanks instead. It has organised a screening of the match at the Band on the Wall venue in Manchester city centre and proceeds will be donated to such causes. “Fans can make a difference – even if a full boycott is not expected at this stage,” the statement added. “It’s hard to sacrifice watching your own team play. However, some fans are seeing it is an opportunity to make a statement. “It’s not the FA Cup final, it’s not the Champions League final. It is a game in the scheme of things where fans, if they are not valued, can choose to walk away from attending.” The FA has been approached for comment. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Joe Root: England can leave a legacy by taking different approach to Australia Roger Federer welcomed back to Centre Court for first time since his retirement Spurs in talks to sign Wolfsburg centre-back Micky van de Ven

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