Arsenal: Raya, Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Trossard, Rice, Jorginho, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Subs: Ramsdale, Nketiah, Kiwior, Vieira, Nelson, Elneny, Ibrahim, Sagoe Jr, Walters
Arsenal leapfrogged Tottenham into second place in the Premier League after beating Burnley 3-1 at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, thanks to goals from Leandro Trossard, William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Mikel Arteta made one change to the side that beat Sevilla on Wednesday with Zinchenko coming in to replace Ben White, who was absent with an muscular issue.
Despite Arsenal dominating possession early on, it was Burnley who registered the first shot on target when Zeki Amdouni forced Daya Raya into action from range with the resulting corner dealt with comfortably.
Arteta’s side lacked penetration throughout the opening 20 minutes before Bukayo Saka burst into life and rifled an effort straight for the top corner, which was expertly saved by James Trafford.
That chance sparked Arsenal into life and Saka found himself free down the right after some beautiful play from Zinchenko, but his cross was intercepted well by Dara O’Shea when it looked destined for Trossard in the middle.
The Gunners should have been ahead when Kai Havertz was left unmarked again from a corner only to head over from six yards, before Raya made a brilliant save down low to his left to deny Johann Berg Gudmundsson after he latched onto a sloppy Saliba backpass.
Just as the first half began to fizzle out, Arsenal eventually broke the deadlock in injury time when Trossard headed home at the back post after meeting Saka’s intelligent header across goal, catching Burnley unaware. 1-0.
After the break, Burnley almost caught the Gunners cold within a minute of the restart when Luca Koleosho showed his pace and found himself through one-v-one with Raya, although Saliba was able to race back and make a crucial interception.
And the visitors scored a shock equaliser moments later when Koleosho managed to round Takehiro Tomiyasu by the touchline, before a penalty box scramble eventually ended in Josh Brownhill drilling past Raya with the help of a deflection. 1-1.
VAR checked the goal for a potential foul on Tomiyasu but with both players pulling each other’s shirts, the goal was eventually given.
But Arsenal took just two minutes to restore their lead – first it was Trafford saving again smartly from Gabriel Martinelli who escaped down the left – before Saliba rose highest to head home from close range on his 50th club appearance. 2-1.
The hosts continued to push and Declan Rice sent a curling effort just wide, before a piece of magic from their left back made it three after 73 minutes.
With another set piece troubling Burnley – O’Shea headed onto his own crossbar with Trafford stranded – the ball fell to Zinchenko who embodied the spirit of Paolo Di Canio to scissor kick into the top corner. 3-1.
Arsenal were in cruise control by that point until Fabio Vieira was sent off in the 83rd minute for a poor tackle on Brownhill, who was quicker to the ball and caught high on the knee by the Portuguese midfielder. red card.
Another worrying sight for Arteta was Martinelli on the ground holding his hamstring with five minutes to play and was quickly withdrawn for Jakub Kiwior. With injuries (and now a suspension for Vieira) piling up, the Gunners boss will be hoping it’s nothing serious.
After weathering six minutes of injury time, it wasn’t a vintage Arsenal performance under the Emirates lights but after winning in midweek, jumping into second place and level on points with Manchester City will never be a bad thing.
Nice
Not the greatest performance but you can see the difference having trossard up top makes. His linking with those around him was great. A goal and an assist. Hopefully Jesus is back after break as well.
Havertz hasn’t find his goal scoring mojo….
He’s not hired to score goals. Not specifically. Strange to review him on that basis
Ill take the three points but that was horrible.i am hoping we are managing our play for the business end of the season
It wasn’t the slickest performance, but today was just about sealing the 3 points and going strong into the international break, and we delivered. No complaints from me.
PGMOL is a disgrace. This shit is getting so hard to swallow. Good win, overshadowed by another vainglorious cunt. Martin fucking Oliver.
Isn’t it michael oliver?
Daveo is neither Michael or Oliver ? I thank you !
Just “fucking Oliver” will do. I mean tomi gets rugby tackled off the ball. Straight red for a graze by Vieira, yet gumaires is “nothing to see here”…
It wasn’t a graze–Vieira went in very high, straight on the shin, though pretty clearly without intent (relatively little force). If it happened to Saka or Martinelli, I would want a red. I thought the “rugby tackle” you saw was probably, according to the way things are called this year, a legitimate duel. Again, if we score that goal, I don’t want it chalked off. We shouldn’t be complaining about correct calls that go against us. Instead, we should point them out to show that our other complaints (allowing the Newcastle goal despite the shove on Gabriel, the failure to… Read more »
And in what universe would that not get chalked off if it was the other way?
I know you think highly (as I do) of Zinchenko. Why are you talking about Michael Oliver, when Zinchenko had a superb performance (including his defending), topped off by a bit of unbelievable technical mastery to score his goal?
That’s a great question!
Happy Saint Totteringham’s Day.
Saint Totteringham’s day is the day when they can’t possibly finish above us in the league (of course this is pretty much every day really, but mathematically). So today is not St Totteringham’s day, that’s a bit premature and if it was celebrated all the time it would take away from the marvellous day itself. This was just another ordinary day where they bottled it.
Sarcasm not your strong point.
They’ve collapsed, they won’t catch us again in the league.
Funny tempt the fates
Yeaaah nah man, I see what you’re trying to say but nah. All good though! We won, they lost, I love you, and we’re all happy with today’s results!
“Sarcasm not your strong point” ~ guy who just misused sarcasm
😂
Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, Happy New Year, you do you. The main thing is that we hate that lot.
Yep and Newcastle are losing; a pretty good day at the office.
Did you have your Christmas tree up in September?!
It goes up every time Jesus scores, and comes down every time he gets injured.
Oleksandr Ninjenko
Yes, Sensei 😀
That was genuine pfa goal. Pretty fucking amazing.
Better than DicCanio imo
That’s much better than the Hussle from Brussle I heard when Trossard scored.
Trossard must always start ahead of Nketiah and perhaps Jesus.
He exudes venom!
Steady on with Jesus claim.
Definitely before Eddie
All 3 together
in a big trench coat so they pass as one player
Was it me or did Saliba and Gabriel inverted as a striker and winger at some point? 🤯🤣
That Saliba goal tho…
The officiating in this game felt vindictive to me. Suddenly the slightest nudge in the box from Saka is a foul when Joelinton climbing on Gabriel was not and Fabio Vieira, the most waif-like player you could hope to find, is sent off for the softest high foot offence when Guimaraes gets away with literal assault. Tomiyasu was also fouled in the build up to their goal. Mikel Arteta is right, the officiating is a disgrace and the win today does nothing to lessen my sense of injustice. We can probably expect more of this from now on.
Watching back the replay I’m not even sure Vieira touched him tbh. Felt extremely harsh. Luckily the game was pretty much done at that point, but you do feel for Vieira who now has to sit out the next 3 matches.
You get the sense Mikkie expected this. no noise no complaints.it does look like pre planned punishment.
Pre planned more of the same?
Pre planned three points always welcome
Just watched it again, it looks bad at first because of the reaction of the burnley player, but if there is any contact it’s light and the Player didn’t need to go down like that. Technically could be a red, but hard to stomach after what’s happened with us the past few weeks.
Vieira was reckless and deserved red. Tomiyasu wasn’t fouled
No doubt Vieira deserved that red. It’s funny how random these refs are given though. The PGMOL needs to be abolished.
I think Jokers point is that if Viera’s was a red (which it was, albeit unlucky), then Guimaraes should be shot into space (yet somehow he escapes any punishment). The tiny nudge by Saka on the near own goal was 1/1000 of the push committed by that Newcastle thug on Gabriel for their ‘perfectly fine’ goal. It’s one rule for one team and another for ours. And it’s sickening and corrupt.
That was also the point I was making.
Yes, Vieira deserved a red and yes, Guimaraes was far worse. Yes, Saka’s push was a foul and the Newcastle shove was even more blatant. Here’s a theory: we had a better referee today than at Newcastle.
Tomi is lifted off the ground and pushed over the ball of balance and down. Switch the sides and it’s a foul every time. Mikel is right, it’s a disgrace. It’s bent.
One rule for them, other ones for us. Arteta complained so now they come out to hurt us.
Tomiyasu was fouled (See the hand grabbing his jersey.), but he was fouling Koleosho just as much, so the goal should stand.
He’s not because he is ahead of the defender, he’s in positional control of the situation, the only way that gets changed is by fouling, Which is what keleosho does. It’s a foul. All day. You know that, I know that, we all know that if it’s the other way it’s a foul. That’s what’s so fucking annoying about this bent, corrupt league .
I can’t believe geordie referee Michael Oliver would do such a thing.
Check out Oliver (twisted cnut) when he ref’s us..he puts Dean to shame (but not Riley)
Well, no one will agree, but two things can be true at once. The officiating in the league this season has been awful. Today was a well-officiated game. (If you don’t think Vieira deserved a red, imagine that was Saka being fouled.)
The saddest part is that you’re basically an enabler of all this. You defend league integrity not matter what happens. That is exactly why things never change
Seriously? You think I’m enabling “all this?” For the record, I believe most of the referees in the Prem are not good enough; I believe there tends to be an implicit bias towards: home teams, “big” teams,” star players, English players. I think VAR has become, as it was likely to do, a liability on balance. I don’t think there’s a plot against Arsenal or anyone else (well, maybe against Wolves), though I think it’s possible that in the past officials who disliked Wenger (and were afraid of Ferguson) allowed those attitudes to influence the way they refereed. I want… Read more »
Why are there so many comments about the officiating and almost no mention of Zinchenko’s exstraordinary goal? What’s the matter with enjoying football?
If I may resort to cheesyiness I’d like to say that Zincjenko’s goal was Miyagitastic.
I hope the players came out of that OK, Trossard, Martinelli and Jorginho all took a beating. Unlucky red card for Vieira, it was a red, but he clearly didn’t mean it and there was no force behind it. The squad all look like they need a break, and most of them will be playing for their countries, it’s relentless.
That is never a red if you’re Kovacic.
Nice of Oliver to allow us to get Elneny on after Jorginho had his head split open, rather than letting us play with 9 men. Oh, wait…
The match never restarted did it?!
It did, we were playing with 9 men for a minute or two
Oh right. Fair enough!
Yep, only didn’t come on because we got a goal kick.
Comfortable win as it gets. Some really nice set pieces, clearly targeting Burnley’s weaknesses effectively. I also thought some of the interplay was very nice indeed, even if it didn’t always come off. I felt for Viera. It looked bad but it was not intentional in any way even though it was probably a red card. Looked like he was trying to bring the ball down and he lost his bearings. I would like to see some more conviction from Havertz. Very tidy on the ball and works hard. If he could just find some confidence in his shooting he… Read more »
Also, for those on commentary who bleated on about how we lacked fluency in the first 20 mins and weren’t 5-0 up already…fuck you. Half of our first team are injured, including at least 4 of our most important players, and we just played in the CL against the EL winners. What did they expect?
Zinch did extremely well to keep that down and still give it enough power to beat the keeper. 9 times out of 10 those dropping high balls in the box are going over the bar.
Just highlights how what is and isn’t a “red card” is absolute bollocks. The same referee thinks jumping two-footed into someone is not a red card, yet trying to control the ball (whilst focusing on it) and catching a player who had appeared from nowhere is a red.
Have you seen this cool 80s movie karate kid? Ifs a great flick where this kid does a really cool kick called the crane ki…..
Oleksandr: hold my beer…..
I believe in giving Havertz some more time. Not sure why but I do believe in him. It takes some players a while to get going in a new team, not everyone can do what Rice has done.
But at this stage I feel like Trossard brings so much more energy and actually goals than Nketiah and should be starting ahead of him in all games that Jesus isn’t available. No hate on Nketiah but I don’t feel as confident when he is on the field vs. Trossard.
I want to belive in Havertz too but i just dont see it. Its not like he was the best at Chelsea either. Im not really sure what he is good at to begin with. Against a team like Burnley he should at least hit the target once. Especially with that price tag. i dont think he can make it england. He might be much better in a slower leauge. I hope u are right though.
Nketiah is the worst player in the squad. No hate on Nketiah.
Cedric would like to have a word.
I also feel there is something there with Havertz and it’s definitely worth pursuing and supporting him, until the end of the season at least. I know he’s missed some chances and misplaced some passes, but he keeps going and is still getting into good positions which is encouraging. I just have a feeling it’s going to explode for him, one game he’s going to burst the dam open and smash in a hattrick or something and then he’s never going to look back.
as raya hater, i have to admit this is his best match in epl yet, for the 1st time he didn’t make any single mistake
Just a reminder, if you hate Arsenal players there’s another community in North London that love that kind of thing and desperately need support.
just a reminder, raya is still not an arsenal player…..
Said this elsewhere, but
pushes have become the pass interference of soccer. Who knows what the call will be.
Result never really in doubt despite missing Timber, White, Partey, Odegaard, Smith Rowe and Jesus through injury. Even Cedric is in the treatment room despite barely making the bench all season. Hopefully some of the lads can get fit during the interminable international break.
Martinelli isn’t injured. Arsenal didn’t arrange their substitution in time for it to happen in the same break in play as Wolves’ so Arteta instructed Martinelli to lie on the floor so he could bring on Kiwior and give a brief team talk. I saw it all happen from the west stand.
thanks for the inside info mate and good job there in the stands!
Why do we start booting the ball aimlessly when we go down to 10 men? A well drilled side should still be able to retain possession to take the sting out of the gain instead inviting pressure with constant turnovers.
I agree, a well drilled side that isn’t depleted by injuries should be able to do that.
Jesus it’s Burnley at home, and we won comfortably, relax
@bloggs…do you watch premier sport in Ireland? I watched a replay from them and the commentary was soooo much worse than sky for an anti-arsenal bias! Just as a cherry on top-two minutes on Jorginho is making a meal of this until there was a shot of blood being wiped off his head!