Not long before the end, Setanta TV caught Fabio Capello picking his nose, which was excusable in the circumstances. There was not much else for the England coach to pick here.

Enduring a frustration that will be familiar for any England manager of recent vintage, Capello was at the Emirates yesterday to check on Michael Owen, but was left admiring the classy football of an Arsenal team featuring 11 foreigners, Theo Walcott not getting on until 72 minutes had ticked by.

If England could call on Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie, World Cup qualification would be a doddle. Instead, when Capello names his squad today, he has a difficult decision to make about Owen, whose international scoring record warrants his return, but who looked understandably rusty on his first start of the season.

He had one gilt-edged chance but shot wide when, in fairness, his partner, Shola Ameobi, got in his way. Owen also tested Manuel Almunia with a header, but from an off-side position. In truth, the England striker was a bit part player, forced by circumstances to do too much of his work in midfield.

With the peerless Fabregas back to orchestrate Arsenal’s midfield and Van Persie intelligence personified in attack, the Gunners are no longer firing blanks. The scoreline should have been doubled, Van Persie scoring twice, a penalty after 18 minutes and an emphatic finish close in after 41, before hitting the crossbar. A third goal came eventually from Denilson after 59 minutes.

For Newcastle, after their promising start in the Premier League against Manchester United and Bolton, it was two steps forward, one step back. They were outplayed throughout. Newcastle were deprived by injury of Geremi, Obafemi Martins, Damien Duff, Mark Viduka and Claudio Cacapa. With these absences, their bench was largely a case of “Who’s he?”, with the exception of the reprobate they call Joey Barton, roundly booed when he was introduced after 89 minutes, to chants of: “You’re supposed to be in jail.”

On for only three minutes, including stoppage time, Barton was still at the centre of controversy, when an exchange of unpleasantries with Samir Nasri brought a booking for the Frenchman and left Kevin Keegan infuriated and pointing an accusing finger at Nasri and William Gallas as the players came off the pitch at the end. On entering the fray, the fractious Barton, who faces a Football Association charge of violent conduct next Friday, had disposseed Nasri with an aggressive, but legitimate tackle to which Nasri took exception. Almost immediately, when Barton advanced through the middle, Nasri brought him down with an obvious foul, for which he was booked. Keegan claimed afterwards that Nasri should have been sent off for “slicing down” his man. He was wrong but found it necessary to remonstrate at the end when Gallas, the Arsenal captain, stepped in on behalf of his teammate.

To his credit, Keegan saw sense later and said the incident should not detract form “an excellent game of football.”

Arsenal almost scored twice before the match was six minutes old. After only two they had a penalty appeal rejected when Van Persie went down under challenge by Fabricio Coloccini and, moments later, Gallas, contrived to shoot over from three yards. Arsenal were soon back, Kolo Toure’s 25-yarder demanding a plunging save from Shay Given. Van Persie brought a similar response from 20 yards, and the pressure had its reward in the shape of Van Persie’s penalty.

It was an easy decision for the referee, Adebayor’s cross from the right being cut out by Charles N’Zogbia’s arm. Van Persie drilled the kick low into Given’s left-hand corner.

With the interval looming, it was 2-0. Abedayor’s centre from the right was backheeled by Eboue, creating the space for Van Persie to shoot into the roof of the net from six yards.

Denilson rattled in Arsenal’s third after clever play by Nasri and Adebayo. Ten minutes from the end, Nasri would have made it 4-0 but for a top-notch save from Given.

- ARSENAL are attempting to beat tomorrow’s transfer deadline by signing Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso to bolster their midfield. Alonso, who won Euro 2008 with Spain two months ago, has fallen out with Rafael Benitez and would welcome the move. Wenger said last night: “We are trying to bring in somebody who is at least as good, or maybe better, than what we have.”

Star man: Robin Van Persie (Arsenal)

Yellow cards: Arsenal: Fabregas. Newcastle: Given, Coloccini, Nasri

Referee: R Styles

Attendance: 60,007

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Eboue (Walcott 72min), Fabregas, Denilson (Song Billong 69min), Nasri, Van Persie (Vela 63min), Adebayor

Newcastle: Given, Beye (Edgar 89min), Taylor, Coloccini, Enrique (Bassong 44min), Gutierrez (Barton 89min), Butt, Guthrie, N'Zogbia, Ameobi, Owen