Playing Burnley is a bit like facing treacle toffee – hard and easy to get stuck. But Martin Odegaard provided the sliver slicer which cut through at the right time.
Martin Odergaard races away after breaching Burnley defence
Sean Dyche signed a new deal this week and his team was unchanged since Everton.
For Arsenal Ramsdale remained in goal – but Partey and Smith Rowe were in for Lokonga and Maitland Niles. Arsenal had not lost at Turf Moor since 1973 and Burnley hadn’t won at home since January.
Arsenal started crisply passing between the back four. Burney had two banks of four – with Arsenal needing break-line passes or runners on the outside of the back four.
Tierney made such a run with Odegaard finding him and Pope saving from Pepe, who was slightly back on his heels.
Burnley started to get crosses in with relative ease. Barnes had a second ball chance from a Pope goal kick. Tarkowski rose to head over with Barnes and Wood on Ramsdale.
Arsenal’s crosses were poor, with Pepe failing with three attempts.
On 30 Pope kicked out a goal kick directly, Burnley were for once out of position. Saka picked up the ball half-way through the Burnley half and drove forward. Westwood took him out near the D. Odegaard hit the free kick over Burnley wall and into the far corner of Pope’s net.
After a sustained period of Arsenal possession Pepe found Smith Rowe in space in the Burnley area, but his snapshot went wide. Then Saka took a heavy touch after a breakaway and the opportunity evaporated.
Burnley started the second energetically and had a handball claim. Arsenal were up against it and had to show grit, which they did with Gabriel outstanding. Partey performed a vital role in front of the back four.
In terms of an attack threat, an intricate Arsenal move ended in a powder puff shot into Pope’s hands.
Cornet had a one two saved by Ramsdale.
In the major incident of the second half, White’s back-pass was slow and Ramsdale appeared to trip Vydra. But the 23-yer-old cleverly got to the ball first and the penalty decision was overturned.
Sean Dyche said: “It is very rare to dominate against Arsenal.”
Arteta said. “You have to be ready for fight. The put long balls, crosses, and bodies in the box – you have to deal with that. In the second half we gave the ball away a lot.”
Burnley 0 Arsenal 1
Burnley: 1Pope, 2Lowton, 5Tarkowski, 6Mee, 3Taylor, 7Gudmundsson (Substituted for Cornet at 57’minutes), 18Westwood (Booked at 29mins), 8Brownhill, 11McNeil, 10Barnes (Booked at 19mins, Substituted for Vydra at 57’minutes), 9Wood (Substituted for Rodriguez at 82’minutes)
Arsenal: 32Ramsdale, 18Tomiyasu, 4White, 6Gabriel, 3Tierney (Substituted for Varela Tavares at 78’minutes, Booked at 90mins), 5Partey (Substituted for Maitland-Niles at 75’minutes), 19Pépé, 10Smith Rowe (Substituted for Sambi Lokonga at 61’minutes), 8Ødegaard, 7Saka, 14Aubameyang