Arsenal are one step away from a first Premier League title in 22 years after beating Burnley 1-0.
The table toppers were firm favourites at the Emirates Stadium against an already relegated outfit in their final home fixture of what could be a historic campaign. Those odds did not produce a pulsating performance, but Kai Havertz had delivered the goods for the Gunners to get them over the line.
Story of the Match
Mike Jackson decided to field the same starting eleven that featured in the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa. Kyle Walker, Axel Tuanzebe, Maxime Esteve and Lucas Pires played in the rearguard. Lesley Ugochukwu and Florentino Luis lined up in the midfield, Hannibal Mejbri maintained his role as the number ten behind Zian Flemming, flanked by Jaidon Anthony and Loum Tchaouna.
Mikel Arteta changed three members of the lineup he used in the 1-0 win over West Ham. Cristian Mosquera filled in for Ben White as the right back while Riccardo Calafiori continued on the left of the backline after his half time substitution. Myles Lewis-Skelly stepped aside for Martin Odegaard to be the third midfielder, and Kai Havertz had replaced Viktor Gyokeres as the central forward.
Florentino sent a shot trickling just wide of the target in the opening stages of the game, but Burnley would not be the protagonists in this encounter, settling into their responsibility as the frustraters.
Unsurprisingly, a set-piece provided the first decent opening of the contest for Arsenal. Saka sent out the warning signal with a strike that deflected off Esteve as the hosts earned a corner. A short routine saw Odegaard slip the ball into the channel for Trossard to chase, and his cutback met Havertz. The officials missed a slight nick off the leg of Flemming, but the forward’s effort was unconvincing.
Immediately, Eze and Trossard connected on the left, and a bounce pass between the pair allowed the winger to wander into a more central position. He was the frame of the goal away from scoring.
The Clarets could not engineer many clear-cut opportunities, but a few possible breakaways were presented in their direction in the first half hour. Most notably, Tchaouna took charge of a right sided transition that ended with a cross for Mejbri, but his teammate turned the ball wide of the target.
A series of opportunities then followed for the hosts. The ball popped up for Eze to hammer a volley at the target and Max Weiss easily caught the team’s first shot on target. Then, Havertz had drifted to the left flank, and his delivery into the danger zone allowed Saka to attack the back post. The winger appealed to be given a penalty after he fell under pressure from Pires, but VAR would not oblige.
Moments later, the Trossard and Calafiori connection created a familiar pathway into the penalty area. The marauding left back built a route into the feet of Odegaard, whose strike was deflected off target. Saka stepped up to put a corner into the penalty area, and Havertz headed the ball home emphatically.
Chances continued to come the way of the Gunners. The right side triangulated once more in open play, and Saka’s swerving strike ended a promising sequence with a near miss. He then pirouetted on the transition to try to release Odegaard into the box, but blue shirts smothered the through ball.
Half time allowed the Clarets to reset knowing that there was still only one goal to separate the sides. Jaidon Anthony attempted to exploit that situation, trying his luck from range on the counter after a misplaced Eze pass before putting a promising ball into the box that Flemming failed to read well.
Arteta’s men responded swiftly as they craved the safety of a second strike. Trossard and Calafiori connected once more, but the fullback’s delivery failed to find a red shirt. From the following phase of play, Mosquera whipped the ball into the penalty area: Trossard’s stooping attempt at a header nearly put off Eze, but the attacker angled a strike at the goal that Weiss tipped onto the woodwork.
The nerves then started to creep back into the air in North London as William Saliba slipped up in ball possession, allowing Burnley to break forwards, but Tchaouna took a poor touch on the ball.
Not long later arrived a possible flashpoint for the fixture. Havertz had lunged into a tackle on the standing calf of Ugochukwu, disrupting the flow of an attack for the guests. The referee awarded a yellow card to the forward, but further inspection might have meant a dismissal for the goalscorer. VAR opted not to upgrade the punishment, and Arteta took the hint with his first raft of changes.
In the 73rd minute, the manager made a triple substitution, seeking fresh legs from his finishers to hold onto the three points. Calafiori came off for Piero Hincapie to help at left back, Lewis-Skelly slotted into a midfield unit with Declan Rice and Odegaard, and Gyokeres got Havertz’s position upfront.
The spine of a side that has won seven Premier League games 1-0 this season already can be trusted to manage such game states with composure and confidence. Time ticked away for the Clarets, who were given seven additional minutes to search for a leveller, but a breakthrough was not forthcoming.
A double substitution in injury time aimed to wrap up the win. Trossard, after taking a knock to his shoulder, was taken off for Gabriel Martinelli, and Martin Zubimendi swapped in for Odegaard. The wide forward would break behind the backline temporarily off a ball regain from a Burnley free kick, but Walker still had the speed to shut down the threat, keeping the clash alive a little longer.
True to form, Arteta’s men had not blown away their opposition, but their stability stood the test of time. Full time brought much more than relief for the fans: Arsenal are now only one win away from the title, and dropped points for Manchester City against Bournemouth can confirm that fate.