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Arsenal held off some stern resistance from the Clarets to emerge 3-1 winners. The game had an edge to it throughout and served up tasty affair with tackles flying in right, left and centre.
Aubameyang opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 14th minute after some excellent play by Ozil and Kolasinac. The Gunners went in a goal ahead at halftime and looked re-energised after the break.
Aubameyang added his second of the game in the 48th minute when he finished off a flowing counter-attacking move initiated by Kolasinac.
However, the home side were pegged back a little when Barnes made it 2-1 with 63 minutes on the clock.
Yet, it was the Gunners who had the last laugh as Iwobi scored in stoppage time to kill off Burnley and get the Gunners level on points with Chelsea.
Here are five talking points from the game:
#5 Arsenal finally lead at half-time
The Gunners have enjoyed a resurgence since Unai Emery took over in the summer. They have given a better account of themselves in the attacking third while their new-found resilience has been refreshing for the Emirates faithful.
However, despite enjoying a decent season under the Spaniard, Arsenal were yet to lead at half-time in the Premier League. And thankfully for the Gooners, they put that fact to bed on Saturday afternoon.
The game started off brightly with both teams according to the other an opportunity to go ahead early. For the home side, Aubameyang came close but his attempt was heroically blocked on the line by Tarkowski.
Moments later though, the Clarets were guilty of missing a gilt-edged opportunity when Westwood scuffed his goal-bound attempt.
As the game settled down, Arsenal were able to weave pretty patterns in the Burnley half and put the away side under pressure.
The Clarets’ defence finally gave way in the 14th minute when Ozil played a sumptuous defence-splitting ball to Kolasinac. The Bosnian squared the ball to Aubameyang who volleyed it with the outside of his boot and made the net bulge.
The Gunners then staved off some physical barrages from the away side, with Sokratis leading from the back. Despite ruffling Arsenal’s feathers, Burnley could never conjure anything of note in the first period and deservedly went into the tunnel trailing.
For all of the Gunners’ resistance this season, they rarely got into a situation where they could control games early. Thus, Emery would’ve been glad that his team could finally get ahead and maintain a lead at the break.
Arsenal faces an uphill task to reclaim their Champions League spot and if they consistently fall behind at halftime, their task would only become harder.
Hence, with the monkey off their back now, they would hope that they can continue more of the same and go into half-time leading more often than not.
#4 Arsenal’s rear-guard looks shaky but gets the job done
Arsenal started the game with a conventional back four. Sokratis and Monreal played at the heart of the defence whereas Kolasinac and Matiland-Niles were tasked with manning the flanks. However, an untimely injury to Monreal led to the Gunners shuffling their pack and switching to a back three.
With Sokratis playing as the only natural centre-back in the back three, Burnley tried to get physical and lump balls forward to Barnes and Wood. The long balls certainly threw a spanner in the Gunners’ works and none apart from the Greek looked comfortable.
Burnley were duly rewarded for their perseverance in the 63rd minute and had they been a little more imaginative in the final third, might have gotten more joy.
The games are coming quicker than one can blink and the fact that Arsenal has only a handful of fit defenders makes for grim reading.
Though the Gunners are impressing in the offensive third, their defensive frailties could just prove to be the difference between qualifying for the Champions League and being ‘also-rans’.
The winter transfer window opens at the turn of the year and Emery will have to work his socks off to identify and push through a deal for defensive reinforcements.
Arsenal weren’t punished against Burnley and considering the Clarets’ 18th position, it wasn’t much of a surprise. Yet, against a more clinical team, a single defensive slip could end up being the distance between the cup and the lip.
Thus, the sooner Arsenal put their defensive shortcomings to rest, the easier it would be to launch a sustained assault on the top four.
#3 Kolasinac provides a driving force on the flank
After missing a few fixtures over the fortnight, the Bosnian was thrown into the mix against Burnley. Kolasinac started the game as a conventional full-back but after the injury to Monreal shifted to his more-preferred wing-back role.
Despite changing positions mid-game, the Bosnian was a constant menace on the left flank. In his absence, the Gunners missed an attacking outlet on the wings and on Saturday, Kolasinac proved exactly why he is such an essential member of Emery’s setup.
Emery likes to play with inverted wingers, thus making the role of the full-back paramount. In addition to providing width, the Spaniard also expects his full-backs to be decisive in the final third.
Against Burnley, Kolasinac provided the assist for the first goal whereas his driving run enabled the counter-attack for the second goal to flow so freely.
With Monreal looking set for another spell on the sidelines, Arsenal needs the Bosnian to be fit and firing on all cylinders.
And if his performance against the Clarets is any indicator, other teams would have their hands full trying to contain the marauding Kolasinac.
#2 Ozil shows glimpses of what Arsenal might miss
Mesut Ozil finally made the eleven against Burnley after being on the periphery in recent weeks. The return to the team meant that the German was starting his first league game since the 11th of November.
Over the course of the last month, there have been several speculations talking about a potential rift between Emery and Ozil.
The papers have gone as far as claiming that the former had lost patience with the latter, adding that the German could soon be shown the door. However, against Burnley, Ozil showed exactly what the Gunners might miss if they decide to move him on.
In the 14th minute, the German sprang to life. After a neat one-two with Maitland-Niles, he produced a sublime through-ball to scythe through the Clarets’ defence.
The ball was weighted impeccably and dovetailed perfectly with Kolasinac’s run. The Bosnian then set up Aubameyang to put the Gunners in front.
Moreover, Ozil created another goal in stoppage time when his mesmerising run caught Burnley off-guard.
However, the most pleasing aspect would’ve been the German’s inclination to help out defensively.
On several occasions, Ozil ‘pressed’ and chased down defenders. While his talent has never been in question, his work-rate certainly has. Yet, if he continues in a similar vein to today, he might just have turned a corner.
Emery has endured a tough few days trying to answer everyone’s questions. Though the Spaniard hasn’t always provided the best answers, Ozil certainly displayed what he brings to the table and why he is still a vital cog.
A hard-working Ozil on the pitch would be the stuff of dreams and if Emery manages to unlock that aspect, the top four could be within touching distance.
#1 Arsenal get back on track with a much-needed victory
The Gunners’ last competitive loss before going down to Southampton last weekend was way back in August when they were defeated by the odd goal in five to Chelsea.
Arsenal then embarked on an impressive 22 match unbeaten streak only to be on the receiving end of two worrying defeats recently.
On Saturday afternoon, the Gunners were hardly at their best yet seized the big moments to steer clear of a potential banana skin. Moreover, the win means that they are hot on Chelsea’s heels in the fourth spot.
The Gunners’ bubble was certainly punctured to an extent after the last couple of defeats yet they ensured that the bubble didn’t completely burst against the Clarets.
The race for the top four is heating up and their rivals, Chelsea and Tottenham are showing no signs of slowing down. Thus, it is imperative that the Gunners win such games against teams in the bottom half.
Though the Gunners might not have been at their aesthetically pleasing best, they toiled hard to emerge victorious from the rubble.
The most clichéd phrase in sports is ‘carrying the momentum’ and fortunately for Arsenal, they are on an upward curve rather than a downward spiral heading to the Amex on Boxing Day.
(Just for trivia: the last time Arsenal lost two on the spin, they went unbeaten for four months. So, you never know)
