Burnley vs Arsenal Review
Arsenal extended their outstanding Premier League record against newly-promoted teams to 24 wins out of 25 matches by defeating Burnley 2-0, temporarily increasing their lead at the top of the table to seven points. Burnley were well aware of the danger Arsenal posed from set pieces, as the Gunners have been very effective in this area this season. Within the first 15 minutes, the Clarets had already fallen victim to this threat. A deep corner to the far post was kept alive by Gabriel, allowing Viktor Gyökeres an easy header from close range to score.
Unsurprisingly, the first half was dominated by Arsenal, and they should have doubled their lead when a defensive error by Maxime Estève let Bukayo Saka break free on goal, but a sharp save by Martin Dúbravka low to his right kept Burnley in the match. Saka soon found himself facing Dúbravka again, but once again the Slovakian goalkeeper prevailed, making an impressive one-handed save to deny him. Following that, Leandro Trossard’s shot was cleared off the line by Axel Tuanzebe. Undeterred by the setback, Trossard turned his frustration into a perfect cross that set up Mikel Arteta’s team’s second goal of the match, with Declan Rice heading the ball into the corner.
Arteta’s halftime decision to substitute Gyökeres was likely a relief for Burnley manager Scott Parker, as it meant one less key Arsenal attacker to contend with. However, for Burnley to have any hope of mounting a comeback, they needed to create something special in the attacking third. Bringing on two offensive players in a double substitution didn’t have the intended impact, as by the 70th minute, the home team had yet to attempt a single shot. Their first real chance came in the 73rd minute when Estève’s header at the far post found Florentino six yards out, but he was unable to keep his header on target.
Burnley had very few chances to score during the match, and they were lucky not to fall further behind with 10 minutes remaining when Ethan Nwaneri’s shot narrowly missed the post. The Clarets never seemed capable of challenging Arsenal’s lead and were unable to prevent their two-game winning streak from ending. This is a significant win for Arsenal in the title race, who extended their lead at the top to seven points.
