Taha Hashim 

Arsenal 1-0 Burnley: Premier League – as it happened

Mikel Arteta’s side moved closer to a first league title in 22 years after Kai Havertz’s first-half header
  
  

Kai Havertz celebrates scoring.
Kai Havertz celebrates scoring. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Gunnersaurus is doing push-ups as the players and their families gather on the pitch. And on that note … goodnight. Here’s David Hytner’s report:

Gursimran Grewal writes in:

It’s feels like they’re trying to put me through the emotional ringer on purpose

Michael in the USA says:

Last I checked, the point of taking a corner was to try to put the biscuit in the basket. Arsenal are good at it. Should that not be a positive?

Arsenal have won four league games in a row since their loss by Manchester City last month, three of them 1-0 victories. It ain’t pretty but fair play.

Let us be frank: that second half was a pretty dire watch. Arsenal were rock-solid at the back, Burnley offering little going forward. David Raya didn’t have to make a save.

Updated

Manchester City have to win tomorrow.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Arsenal 37 43 82
2 Man City 36 43 77
3 Man Utd 37 16 68
4 Aston Villa 37 6 62
5 Liverpool 37 10 59

FULL-TIME: Arsenal 1-0 Burnley

Arteta erupts. It’s Manchester City’s turn.

90+9 min: Walker sends in a long throw … but Arsenal keep their cool. Arteta is waving his arms about, desperate for that whistle.

90+7 min: Burnley aren’t offering any late threat.

90+6 min: Martinelli looks to be through on goal … but Walker’s still got wheels. The former City right-back is back to put off the sub.

90+4 min: Pires’ foot is far too high, even as he wins the ball in midfield. The ref waves a yellow.

90+2 min: Martinelli and Zubimendi are getting ready to come on … they replace Trossard and Ødegaard.

90+1 min: We’ve got seven minutes added on. Lucas Pires crosses into the Arsenal area … and Flemming smashes into Raya to go in the book. Ouch.

90 min: Arsenal’s off-the-ball work means Burnley aren’t really getting anywhere when they’ve got a hold of it.

88 min: Trossard picks up on the scraps of a free-kick into the mixer, trying an audacious volley. It flies wide.

87 min: Kári Tulinius writes in:

The reason Kai Havertz got away with that dreadful challenge is the same reason people keep being surprised that he’s a good header of the ball: He’s actually 6 foot 4, but in affect and spirit he’s 5 foot 8.

86 min: Have Burnley got a scare in them? They buildup slowly at the back before Pires tries to dribble through the middle … he can’t get past Rice.

85 min: Gyökeres gets the crowd on their feet just for helping win a throw.

83 min: Gyökeres is hassling about up top for Arsenal, nearly making something of a Raya long ball.

82 min: Burnley keep the changes coming, with Bruun Larsen and Humphreys coming on.

78 min: Gyökeres rushes to challenge Weiss before the forward goes down … and Arsenal want a penalty again. Nah, mate.

77 min: Hincapié goes down in the area … and his shorts come down with him, too. It’s definitely not a penalty.

76 min: Tchaouna is down for Burnley after an off-the-ball clash with Hincapié. There’s been no flow to the game for the last 10 minutes with plenty of stoppages.

74 min: Arsenal have a free-kick on the right … and it’s a rare waste. Rice overdoes the delivery.

72 min: Three players are coming on for Arsenal: Gyökeres, Hincapié and Lewis-Skelly replace Havertz, Calafiori and Eze.

70 min: Amdouni replaces Hannibal for Burnley. Ugochukwu goes off, too, replaced by Laurent.

69 min: Well, well, well, it’s not overturned. Havertz’s studs were high and on Ugochukwu. But the Arsenal forward remains on the field.

68 min: Oooh, Havertz’s foot was far too high on Ugochukwu. VAR’s having a look. That’s a dreadful challenge.

Updated

67 min: Eze needlessly gives the ball away with an attempted backheel in midfield but Burnley don’t cause any bother. Havertz slides in on Ugochukwu to get a yellow.

64 min: Anthony has been Burnley’s most dangerous man but Arsenal don’t look all too stressed at the moment. The players that is – Mikel Arteta is restless on the touchline.

63 min: Rice whips in to the front post before an offside flag pauses the game.

62 min: Mosquera is down on the right and Arsenal have a free-kick ….

60 min: Burnley double up on Saka out on the wing, but the England forward has a chance moments later … he smashes it into the side-netting.

57 min: Burnley are still in this as Hannibal finds far too much room outside the Arsenal area. He boots the ball back to Burnley, though.

55 min: Lovely from Arsenal. Trossard drinks the ball into the left channel for Havertz, who hooks it into the middle for Eze to head … it’s blocked, sucking any power out of the effort.

54 min: Mosquera crosses from the right and Eze slams a volley into the ground, with Weiss tipping the bouncing ball over the bar. Or maybe not: it’s given as a goalkick.

52 min: Anthony now finds himself on the right and he sends in a delicious cross into the middle, but Flemming is nowhere to be seen. That was a proper chance.

51 min: It’s all a bit too calm at the moment. Arsenal aren’t really forcing it … but here’s Anthony after Eze misplaces a pass. The Burnley man cuts in from the left … and launches high. Eze raises his hand in apology.

49 min: Ødegaard receives in his own half before driving forward, down the right. Burnley hold the fort.

48 min: Burnley knock it around at the back before Weiss goes long … and Arsenal begin their own spell of possession.

46 min: And we are back.

Ben Barclay believes in Mike Jackson’s master plan:

Burnley have Arsenal right where they want them. No point going up a goal, and sparking a furious come back. Better to wait until the 80th minute and score a Hail Mary equaliser.

Sky are speaking to Ødegaard at half-time. Just don’t see the point of it. Let the guy have a breather.

Øivind Idsø writes in:

Ok, so Arsenal have scored more than 25 per cent of their goals on a corner this season, and that is in the PL alone.

Just confirms that this season is a complete write-off in terms of entertainment.

Hey, don’t call me bitter just because I support Liverpool!!

But still.

HALF-TIME: Arsenal 1-0 Burnley

It’s not been box-office but Arsenal have their precious goal.

45+2 min: Burnley have a moment of promise on the right wing but waste it, failing to cross into a crowded area before the half-time whistle is blown.

44 min: Havertz drifts to the right, plays the ball to Saka, who goes for a curler … it’s narrowly wide. The winger is causing plenty of bother.

43 min: Ødegaard goes a little too heavy with a pass Saka was trying to get to.

41 min: Anthony skips down the right and puts the ball into the net for Burnley … but the whistle had long gone for a foul on Eze.

40 min: Rice is back in the Arsenal area to boot the ball away for a Burnley corner … it doesn’t bring the hosts any trouble.

Saka dinks a lovely ball into the mixer and Havertz, wearing an invisible jet-pack, rises high at the front post, a glancing header enough to give Arsenal the lead.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Burnley (Havertz 37)

Arsenal. Corner. Goal. Standard.

Updated

37 min: Here come Arsenal again as Calafiori pulls the ball back for Ødegaard … his low drive is deflected for a corner …

36 min: VAR’s had a look and said no! There’s a tangle of legs between Saka and Lucas Pires. Gary Neville isn’t sure on comms and agrees with the ref and VAR.

34 min: Flemming misplaces a pass when Burnley have the chance to counter … and here come Arsenal down the left, the ball rolled into the middle. Saka emerges ready to tap in, and he goes down! Penalty?

Updated

33 min: Burnley’s defensive shape is holding up quite well.

30 min: Saka scoops a cross from the right that leaves a back-pedalling Weiss briefly worried.

29 min: Hannibal’s got himself a yellow … Eze takes the ball, turns and shoots on the volley, trying to replicate that Dele goal against Crystal Palace back in the day. He doesn’t get the power.

27 min: Burnley launch a dangerous-looking counter, a cross finding Hannibal in the area … he takes a touch but can’t find the balance and composure with his effort as Rice closes down, the shot travelling wide.

26 min: Free-kick time for Arsenal, from way out. Rice decides to go short before Trossard tries to wiggle away on the left. He can’t get the ball into the mixer, though.

Tim Smith writes in:

Any time I’ve seen Burnley this season, Kyle Walker, who, fair to say, is a Manchester City legend, has looked a husk of his former self. He couldn’t, could he?

And a former Spurs man. It’s written.

23 min: Saka intercepts in midfield before Ødegaard very nearly slips a sneaky pass through to Havertz in the area.

21 min: Calafiori suddenly finds himself high up on the right wing to keep an Arsenal move ticking.

19 min: Arsenal calmly wheel it around in their own half, side to side. Eze suddenly speed things up to bring Saka into play on the right. Trossard’s post-rattler remains the closest Arsenal have come.

17 min: Hannibal overcooks a cross for Burnley as the visitors venture down the right.

16 min: Trossard breaks past Walker on the left but can’t find Havertz with his ball into the middle.

15 min: Trossard cuts in from the left and launches from outside the area … the ball slams the post. Arsenal have raised the volume in the last five.

14 min: Saka is in his trademark position, launching a curling effort after cutting in from the right … it’s blocked out for a corner. Arsenal work a rehearsed move, playing it short before it lands to Havertz inside the area … he punts it wide.

12 min: Tchaouna finds the ball on the right for Burnley but his effort at goal is well blocked by Calafiori. Flemming and Trossard have a minor scrap, prompting a break in play.

10 min: Rice sits deep, examining options on the ball before Eze goes down on the left wing. Arsenal have a free-kick … with Rice to deliver into the area. Weiss, in net for Burnley, pats the ball away.

8 min: Not a heavy-metal start, this.

6 min: Eze plays a stinging ball to Havertz on the touchline, with Arsenal mainly operating down the right-hand side.

5 min: Arsenal pump up those possession stats, moving it about in midfield.

4 min: Arsenal get moving down the right, with Havertz nearly finding the ball in a dangerous spot inside the area.

2 min: Anthony plays the corner along the carpet to the front post, trying something funky … but it only leads to another Burnley corner. Florentino launches from the edge of the area … but it’s low, slow and wide.

1 min: Pires ventures down the left wing for Burnley, who win an early corner. The upset’s on!

Peeeeep!

Burnley get us going.

Arsenal and Burnley emerge to a pyro-party at the Emirates. We’ll get going shortly.

Martin Ødegaard’s had a stop-start season with injuries, scoring just once. But he was excellent off the bench against West Ham last time out, showing off his close control in the area before laying off for Leandro Trossard’s winner. The captain starts tonight, his 16th of this league campaign.

Burnley have beaten Arsenal once in the Premier League, a 1-0 win at the Emirates in December 2020.

That’s some welcome for the hosts.

Updated

Krishnamoorthy v writes in:

Imagine the mental turmoil of Arteta while he presents a picture of equanimity, imagine the pressure of every single player who must be dreading ‘will I fail today? Will I be remembered as the villain who scuppered Arsenal’s one chance at glory?’, imagine all tbe poor Gunners who must be borrowing their partner’s digits to chew on having already chewed all their own fingernails to their end, imagine if the partner is also a Gunner.

Thank heavens I am a Chelsea fan. But there is no city rivalry today.

Arsenal - march on , do whatever you have to do to ensure that Manchester City does not win (yet) another league.

A reminder of the situation:

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Arsenal 36 42 79
2 Man City 36 43 77
3 Man Utd 37 16 68
4 Aston Villa 37 6 62
5 Liverpool 37 10 59

Burnley, who have won just one league game since the end of October, are unchanged. Arsenal have replaced the injured Ben White with Cristhian Mosquera. Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz come in for Myles Lewis-Skelly and Victor Gyökeres.

The teams

Arsenal: Raya, Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Rice, Eze, Ødegaard, Saka, Trossard, Havertz

Subs: Arrizabalaga, Hincapié, Jesus, Martinelli, Gyökeres, Madueke, Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman

Burnley: Weiss, Walker, Estéve, Tuanzebe, Pires, Florentino, Ugochukwu, Tchaouna, Hannibal, Anthony, Flemming

Subs: Dubravka, Hartman, Worrall, Bruun Larsen, Edwards, Humphreys, Ward-Prowse, Amdouni, Laurent

Preamble

First against 19th, the visitors already down. This should be straightforward but it just isn’t, is it? Arsenal are two victories away from their first league title in 22 years, maybe even just one if Manchester City fail to beat Bournemouth tomorrow night. Every Arsenal fan I speak to is terrified, the heart constantly throbbing, no calm to be found until it is finally over. Three second-place finishes on the bounce will do that to you. The suffering continues at 8pm BST.

 

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