Arsenal set pieces bring such a degree of organised chaos and unconventional thinking they could be nominated for the Turner Prize. Instead they are just making them favourites for the Premier League crown after extending their lead at the top. The Gunners have reached such a level of expertise, they even scored from a Burnley long throw.
Headers from Viktor Gyökeres and Declan Rice were the difference on a straightforward afternoon in Lancashire for Arsenal. The hosts failed to have a shot on target as Arsenal secured a seventh win in a row without conceding in all competitions, a statistic that will strike fear into the heart of their rivals.
“It’s a really tough place to come, they’d lost once in 18 months [at Turf Moor] against Liverpool in the last kick of the game by a penalty,” Mikel Arteta said. “We started the game exceptionally well. I think the first half is one of the best that we’ve played; scored two goals, generated another two or three big chances and conceded nothing.”
“Set piece again, olé olé,” was the chant ringing out from the away end after a tough start against a high-energy Burnley side. Rice swung the corner to the back post from where Gabriel Magalhães knocked the ball back to the centre of the goal and Gyökeres, who would have to go off injured at half-time, nodded in from a yard for Arsenal’s 12th set-piece goal in the Premier League this season.
“The goal took the wind out of us a little bit,” Scott Parker said. “It was a set-play goal that we worked a lot this week. But it took the edge off of us a little bit and then the second goal as well.”
From this point, Arsenal dominated possession. Every corner award resulted in a roar from the travelling fans and a tense moment of silence from the majority, worried about what would come. Great efforts were made to keep Martin Dubravka from getting off his line to claim and he did well punch one Rice inswinger away from under the bar as the pressure increased.
Burnley were unable to make it a contest, keeping 11 men behind the ball to make life as difficult as possible. Dubravka did well against Bukayo Saka, when the winger was through one-on-one, to ensure the lead was not doubled.
Arsenal were beginning to open Burnley up, tiring them out from having so much of the ball, with Saka and Eberechi Eze providing the speed to make the most of the gaps. Saka saw another opportunity repelled by Dubravka and Leandro Trossard had the rebound blocked on the line. Burnley were holding on and working hard to do so.
The second Gunners goal did come from a long throw, it just happened to be a Burnley one. Arsenal cleared the ball and countered quickly, ending with Trossard clipping to the onrushing Rice to finally give Dubravka no chance, breaking the hosts’ spirit in the process.
Burnley did not have a single shot in the first half and the prospect of them getting into the match looked a distant one. The atmosphere was subdued, accepting of their second Premier League home defeat since promotion, knowing their survival will not be decided by the visit of the likes of Arsenal. “They’re just a very, very good team,” said Parker. “They’re a team that I believe have every single ingredient to go and win the league this year.”
There was no great urgency from Arsenal to find a third and they were happy to cede possession to Burnley, maybe with an eye on Tuesday’s trip to Slavia Prague. Arsenal were able to stroll through the second half, with Rice in control of midfield, rightly confident Burnley did not have the quality to break them down on their way to yet another shut out. “If we play with that desire, with that focus, with that discipline, we will win a lot of games,” Arteta said.
Arsenal have never lost here in the Premier League and their latest victory showed Arteta’s machine is able to navigate difficult trips without concern. They are not worried about who they face but their opponents certainly are.
