Arsenal are one win away from the Premier League title. The Gunners downed Burnley 1-0 at the Emirates in a match where the drama was manufactured more by the title race than by the teams on the field. Arsenal did not allow Burnley a shot on target, for all the good it did our nerves. In fact, the visitors didn’t even have a shot attempt after the 57th minute.
The match felt closer than it was, but at the same time, being one mistake / bad bounce away from disaster seems like an uncomfortable place
to be. But that’s how this Arsenal side operate. When they’re at their best, their opponents get nary a sniff of goal. To the Arsenal, one-nil, after all.
Mikel Arteta deployed an aggressive, attacking lineup to start the match. If you can believe it (and those of us that follow the club absolutely can), it was the first time that Martin Ødegaard, Ebere Eze, Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz had started a match together. The football was free-flowing and lovely when it clicked, but there were several “nearly” moments that you’d expect from a group of attackers that haven’t played together all season.
Leandro Trossard hit the post. Bukayo Saka curled a shot just wide.
Set Piece FC came through. Arsenal hadn’t scored a goal from a corner kick served directly into the box in months. They took their first two short and worked decent chances from them, to be fair. They scored from their third, easy as you like. Bukayo Saka hit his brilliantly dangerous inswinger. Kai Havertz had a free run, rose well above everybody else, and guided the ball into the back of the net.
It was a textbook corner kick goal. I’m sure there were machinations to confuse the defenders, make it tough for the keeper to navigate the wash, and help free Kai Havertz, but it looked so simple. Deliver a great ball, time the run properly, jump higher than everyone, touch the ball home. Set piece elegance.
I was convinced Arsenal were going to go 2-0 up when Bukayo Saka went down under pressure from behind on a ball that he’d otherwise have tapped into the goal, but Paul Tierney waved it off immediately. VAR had a look and upheld the call. I suppose one way to look at it, the way the referee and VAR did, is that Bukayo Saka kicked into the back of the defender’s leg. The announcers suggested the defender may have gotten a slight touch to the ball, but it’s tough to tell. I’ve watched it several times and haven’t seen it.
Here’s how I look at the incident: if Saka tries to take another stride and the defender’s leg trips him having been thrust there from behind and around him, it’s a stonewall penalty. Why does Saka being in a shooting motion change that decision? I don’t think it should.
The other notable talking point was also a referee / VAR decision. Midway through the second half, Kai Havertz was booked for what appeared to be a routine professional foul — sliding into an opponent to trip him to stop a counter. The replay showed the Arsenal played catching his opponent on the back of the leg with the bottom of the boot. I thought the challenge would be upgraded to a red card. It wasn’t. Havertz was likely saved by the fact that there was not much force in the tackle and his foot more bounced off more his opponent rather than going through his leg. He absolutely could have been sent off and we’d have had very little to complain about, just as Burnley would have had little to complain about if Bukayo Saka had been awarded a penalty. I guess it evens out.
As mentioned above, Burnley did not have a shot on target all match. They did not attempt a shot after the 57th minute. Arsenal play suffocating defense, led by Declan Rice, who was magnificent today. Every player on the pitch plays his part. They work hard, defend as a unit, and Piero Hincapie aside, never leave themselves exposed. The substitute fullback really showed his whole ass today, didn’t he?
Sorry, I’m trying to delete it.
The one downside coming out of today’s match is that Arsenal can no longer win the league on goal difference. If the results break the wrong way — Manchester City win their last two and Arsenal draw Crystal Palace — City will win the league. To be fair, Arsenal needed a four-goal win today to tip the balance in their favor. Of course, Bournemouth, for whom a Champions League finish is still mathematically in play (albeit unlikely) and in the thick of it for a European spot, could do the Gunners a favor tomorrow. If Manchester City do not win, Arsenal claim the title.
One win away.
