It was somewhat of a bittersweet afternoon for Joe Willock on Saturday.
On one hand, the midfielder will have been disappointed at seeing Newcastle United's winless run in the Premier League this season stretch to 13 games, although what happened after the final whistle may have improved his mood.
Having left Arsenal in the summer transfer window, Saturday's game marked Willock's first return to the Emirates Stadium since completing his £25m move.
Though the 90 minutes weren't too enjoyable for the 22-year-old as second half goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli - two players Willock knows well from his time in north London - ensured victory for the home side.
It's now 12 games without a goal for the midfielder since joining the Magpies on a permanent basis - a stark contrast to his goalscoring exploits when he was on loan there during the second half of last season.
However, with him playing in a deeper position once again - which has limited his chances of getting into dangerous areas - Willock wasn't much of a threat to his former club.
With Newcastle stuck on six points - seven points from safety - there wasn't much for Willock and his teammates to be happy about after another losing effort in north London.
But the midfielder did get a nice reception from the Gunners supporters still in the ground after the final whistle had blown.
Football.london were present at the Emirates and picked up on Willock being given a round of applause as he headed back down the tunnel after doing his post-match media duties.
Such was Willock's nice reception that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been proved right.
"I think it will be really nice to have him, we all love and like Joe. It was a difficult decision to make to let him go, but I think he's shown why he needs to play there," Arteta said. "The minutes he's finding there and a new challenge.
"Yes, not this week but I have done it before and he knows the reception he's going to get."
