Arsenal beat Burnley 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday as Mikel Arteta’s side eased to victory and stay in touch with Premier League leaders Manchester City.
After suffering their first defeat of the season last week at Newcastle, Arsenal responded in the best way possible by securing a routine win.
WATCH ARSENAL v BURNLEY REPLAY
The Gunners took the lead against a stubborn Burnley side right on half time as Leandro Trossard bravely headed home but Burnley equalized early in the second half through Josh Brownhill.
Arsenal kicked on after that shock equalizer as William Saliba scored a header from a corner and then another corner led to Oleksandr Zinchenko volleying home acrobatically to seal the win. Substitute Fabio Vieira was sent off for a badly-timed challenge on Brownhill late on but 10-man Arsenal held on for the win with minimum fuss.
The victory means Arsenal now have 27 points for the season with just one defeat from their opening 12 games. Burnley have four points and have now lost five league games in a row, which is the first time that has happened to them in the top-flight in the same season since the 1975-76 campaign.
Arsenal ride set-piece dominance to victory
The Gunners made their set pieces and crosses into the box count against Burnley as all three goals came via that route. Zinchenko’s cross right on half time was nodded across goal by Saka for Trossard to finish, Saliba headed home from a corner and then another corner fell to Zinchenko to volley home. Arsenal are proving to be a workmanlike team this season as they’re a very different side to the swashbuckling style which propelled them to the top of the Premier League table for most of last season. But that was the next step they needed to take. They needed to find different ways to win games when they aren’t at their free-flowing best and they did that against Burnley. With Martin Odegaard, Ben White, Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus all out injured, this Arsenal side are showing their strength in depth and have a much tougher exterior this season. Over the course of the nine-month slog, picking up goals from set pieces and becoming more resolute and almost boring at times is the kind of thing that makes the difference in the title race.
Arsenal vs Burnley player ratings
Our friends at FotMob.com correctly gave Zinchenko the man of the match as his cross for the first goal and stunning strike for the third made the difference. Saka and Trossard were also a constant threat in attack, while David Raya made two good saves when Arsenal needed him to.
What’s next?
Arsenal head to Brentford on Saturday, Nov. 25, while Burnley host West Ham on the same day.
How to watch Arsenal vs Burnley live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET, Saturday (November 11)
TV Channel: Peacock
Online: Stream via Peacock Premium
RED CARD! Fabio Vieira shown a straight red card
The Arsenal substitute is shown a straight red card as he left his foot hanging in the air and although he didn’t catch Josh Brownhill with a lot of force, that was a poorly timed challenge. Arsenal down to 10 men for the final seven minutes plus stoppage time.
GOALLL! Arsenal 3-1 Burnley - Oleksandr Zinchenko
Arsenal surely wrap up the win. Another corner causes chaos as the ball is headed onto the bar and the rebound is scissor-volleyed home by Zinchenko. Brilliant finish.
Arsenal pushing hard for a third
Declan Rice goes close from the edge of the box and Arsenal are dominating the game now. Burnley just can’t get out of their own half.
GOALLL! Arsenal 2-1 Burnley - William Saliba
Burnley were not on level terms for long as a corner from Trossard is headed home by Saliba. The French center back heads home unmarked from two yards out as he gets in front of Trafford. The Gunners are ahead again.
SAVE! Trafford denies Martinelli
Gabriel Martinelli is in on goal but Vitinho does enough to put him off and Trafford blocks it at the near post as the home crowd get going again.
GOALLL! Arsenal 1-1 Burnley - Josh Brownhill
It had been a sloppy start to the second half from Arsenal and they have been made to pay. USMNT-eligible winger Luca Koleosho does superbly down the left and the ball breaks to Josh Brownhill who hammers a shot on goal which deflects off Gabriel and in.
HALF TIME - Arsenal 1-0 Burnley
That goal right on half time gives Arsenal the advantage but Burnley had a couple of good chances and David Raya came up big at the other end. Still, this feels like Arsenal will kick on in the second half as Burnley are now forced to come out of their defensive shell.
GOALLL! Arsenal 1-0 Burnley - Leandro Trossard right on half time
Arsenal lead Burnley right on half time and that was coming. Zinchenko’s cross is headed back across goal by Saka and Trossard heads home at the back post. The Belgian is clattered as he scores and stays down with an arm injury but he is back on the pitch as he rubs his elbow and forearm.
SAVE! Trossard denies by Trafford
This is a bit end-to-end now as Leandro Trossard has a shot from the edge of the box which Trafford pushes over. Arsenal are struggling to break down this stubborn Burnley side.
SAVE! Raya denies Burnley’s Gudmundsson
The ball rebounds straight into the path of Gudmundsson and he is clean through as Zinchenko tries to block his shot. The Icelandic midfielder gets a low shot away but Raya does really well to get down low and push it away.
CLOSE! Bukayo Saka denied
James Trafford tips Bukayo Saka’s rising shot onto the crossbar and over, as the Arsenal winger cut inside and with basically no back-lift drilled a great shot towards the top corner. Kai Havertz then heads over from a corner and Arsenal are trying to get going.
Bright start from Burnley
Arsenal have had plenty of the ball but Burnley have the first big chance of the game. Amdouni charges forward and has a shot from the 25 yards out which Raya pushes out for a corner.
Arsenal lineup
Raya; Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Jorginho, Havertz; Martinelli, Trossard, Saka
Burnley lineup
Trafford; Vitinho, Beyer, O’Shea, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Berge, Brownhill, Koleosho; Amdouni, Rodriguez
Focus on Arsenal, team news
The Gunners were ruthless and efficient against Sevilla in the Champions League in midweek and getting into the last 16 would be a big achievement. Losing away at Newcastle was a big blow and the manner in which they lost is still eating away at Arteta as he spoke out strongly against the decision to award Antony Gordon’s goal and said he ‘has to defend his club’ after what he believed was a monumental mistake. Arsenal are still within touching distance of top spot and have been forced to rotate their team in recent weeks. Jesus remains out, while Odegaard and Eddie Nketiah missed the win against Sevilla and Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe remain out. Saka is an injury concern with an ankle knock, while Takehiro Tomiyasu is also a doubt after coming off against Sevilla and Jurrien Timber remains out after knee surgery.
OUT: Gabriel Jesus (thigh), Thomas Partey (thigh), Emile Smith-Rowe (knee), Jurrien Timber (torn ACL - out for season) | QUESTIONABLE: Bukayo Saka (ankle), Martin Odegaard (undisclosed), Eddie Nketiah (ankle), Takehiro Tomiyasu (undisclosed)
Martin Odegaard injury news
Martin Odegaard has been missing through a hip issue and Mikel Arteta has admitted that Arsenal’s captain is battling to be fit for this game. Odegaard has missed the last two games against Newcastle and Sevilla and although he may be fit enough to feature, Arsenal may decide to give him extra time to recover with the international break coming up.
Bukayo Saka injury update
Once again Bukayo Saka is battling through an ankle injury as he came off against Sevilla after scoring a beauty. Saka is a constant target for opposition defenders and has taken plenty of whacks this season. Those appear to be adding up and Saka is a doubt after complaining of an issue in the win against Sevilla. Like Odegaard, is it worth risking Saka in this game?
Focus on Burnley, team news - Update on Lyle Foster
Burnley forward Lyle Foster will not feature as Burnley released a statement saying he and his family have asked to speak about the situation as Foster is suffering issues with his mental well-being and had reached out for help.
“Recently Lyle let us know that he continues to live with issues around his mental well-being and has reached out for help. He is currently in the care of specialists - giving him the support and care he needs to help him back to full health. With the love and support of his family and everyone at Burnley Football Club we will do all we can to provide everything he needs to get better.”
Michael Obafemi is close to a return, while influential midfielder Josh Cullen is back from suspension which is a huge boost. Aaron Ramsey remains out, while Ameen Al-Dakhil is a doubt. It will be intriguing to see how Kompany sets Burnley up as he could be more defensive than he has been for most of this season to try and grind out a point on the road.
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) November 9, 2023
OUT: Lyle Foster (personal), Aaron Ramsey (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Ameen Al-Dakhil (knock), Michael Obafemi (thigh)
