Arsenal 3-1 Burnley (Trossard 45+1′, Saliba 57′, Zinchenko 74′ | Brownhill 54′)
Arsenal will head into the international break on Manchester City’s coattails after bouncing back from last weekend’s controversial defeat to Newcastle with a relatively serene win over Burnley.
Considering how straightforward Wednesday’s Champions League win over a desperately poor Sevilla was, Arsenal looked surprisingly lethargic in the early stages, their passes too often lacking purpose and pace. Burnley looked comfortable, far more comfortable than you’d expect a team with four points from their first 11 games to be visiting a title challengers.
With Burnley sitting deep and inviting their hosts to break them down, Arsenal’s ability to zigzag passes around them to create chances was compromised. They had to find other ways to score and their two chosen methods were crosses and long-range shots.
Gabriel Magalhaes and Kai Havertz had half-chances from corners, while Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard each forced James Trafford into the kind of theatrical stops goalkeepers relish making.
When the goal finally came it was distinctly un-Arsenal in style, defined by bravery rather than beauty. Oleksandr Zinchenko hoisted a hopeful cross towards the back post and Saka leapt like an NBA point guard to head across for Trossard to nod in.
Saka landed awkwardly on his shoulder and Trossard collided heavily with both Trafford and the post, but the bruises will be worth it. The breakthrough had been made.
It was hard not to feel for Burnley, who’d made more of a game than anyone inside the stadium would have reasonably expected them to. Zeki Amdouni registered the game’s first shot on target early on and Johann Berg Gudmundsson had the clearest opportunity after being inadvertently set up by William Saliba, with David Raya making a good stop to deny him.
Considering Burnley’s starting XI had scored a combined three league goals prior to kick-off it was natural to wonder where the fightback might come from. The answer was Luca Koleosho, whose barnstorming run which left Takehiro Tomiyasu spinning led to Josh Brownhill firing in an unlikely equaliser, aided by a deflection off Gabriel.
Given what Burnley had contributed to the contest it felt largely deserved, but Vincent Kompany will be furious at how easily his side ceded parity after working so hard to get it. Trafford got his angles right to block a Gabriel Martinelli toe-poke at the near post, but from Trossard’s resulting corner Saliba rose to restore Arsenal’s one-goal cushion just three minutes after conceding.
Trossard has certainly seized his chance to impress over the past week, leading the line and linking the play well while also sending consistently dangerous deliveries into the box from corners. A player of his guile and class deserves more opportunities to play, whether that’s at Arsenal or elsewhere. He’s given Arteta something to think about over the next fortnight, that’s for sure.
Burnley heads dropped in response and from that point on there was only ever going to be one outcome. Trossard, starting again as a False 9, was enjoying himself. Another weaving run into the penalty area culminated in Declan Rice whipping a shot just past the post.
And it was from another corner soon after that Arsenal scored their third, Zinchenko channelling his inner Paolo Di Canio with a superb scissor kick into the top corner. Arsenal terrorising Burnley from set-pieces felt like a glitch in the matrix; it wouldn’t have happened in the Sean Dyche days that’s for sure.
Fabio Vieira’s deserved sending off for a dangerously high studs-up challenge on Brownhill briefly threatened to inject a touch of jeopardy back into the game, but Arteta’s side professionally saw the job through.
Burnley made Arsenal work harder than other teams have this season, but the worrying facts are that they don’t score enough and are too easy to score against.
An injury-time scramble highlighted their lack of potency, limbs flung desperately at the ball when composure was required. Kompany had seen enough, covering his eyes with his palms.
Arsenal on the other hand are making a useful habit of winning games when a long way from their best. They are, for the time being at least, level with Manchester City at the top of the table. At this stage of the season, that is no bad place to be.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/D26LMxR
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