Arsenal FC is on the verge of winning the English Premier League title. On the penultimate matchday, the Gunners hosted Burnley, who had already been relegated and were sitting in 17th place. In the end, it was a nail-biting victory in which Kai Havertz took center stage twice.
To take the penultimate step toward the championship, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta made three changes to his starting lineup compared to the narrow 1-0 win at West Ham. Havertz was preferred to Gyökeres (bench) up front, captain Ödegaard started in central midfield in place of Lewis-Skelly (bench), and White, who was out with a knee injury, was replaced at right back by Mosquera.
In the opening stages, it was clear what was at stake for the Gunners. They absolutely had to win this home match against 17th-place Burnley. However, the already-relegated visitors did not do Arsenal the favor of surrendering without a fight. It took until the 14th minute for the home team to approach the opponent’s goal for the first time, through Havertz. And just a minute later, Trossard had the best chance of the opening phase: his shot from the edge of the box clattered off the left post (15th minute). Burnley’s German goalkeeper Weiß, who started for the second game in a row, wouldn’t have had a chance on that one.
First trouble with VAR, then Havertz delivers for the Gunners
Just before the half-hour mark, Arsenal fans had their first scare as Burnley launched a quick counterattack. In the end, Hannibal got the ball on the left side of the box but sent his volley well wide of the near post (27′). There were repeated stretches where the Gunners struggled to get in front of goal. But then, in the 34th minute, Havertz received the ball on the left side of the penalty area. The German squared it to Saka, who only had to tap it in. However, Saka went down in a challenge with Lucas Pires. Referee Tierney did not award a penalty, and the VAR did not overturn the decision either.
But that didn’t matter much shortly afterward, because on the very next play, Ödegaard had a golden opportunity that led to a corner: Saka crossed the ball right in front of the goal, and Havertz sent the Emirates Stadium into a frenzy with his header (37th minute). The Gunners wanted to add to their lead before halftime, but a curling shot by Saka went just wide (44′). So after 45 minutes, the score remained a narrow but well-deserved lead.
At the start of the second half, it initially looked as though Arsenal would make short work of the game and decide it quickly. However, Eze was unlucky with the woodwork first when a bouncing shot he fired hit the crossbar—Weiß just managed to get his fingertips to it (54th)—and shortly after, he headed the ball straight into the back of Burnley defender Esteve (55th). And just five minutes later, Saka also had a chance, but his shot flew into the side netting (60′). After that, there was a sudden breakdown in the Gunners’ play. The home team lost their rhythm and allowed Burnley to get into the game more and more.
A clear miscall: Arsenal allowed to continue with 11 players
The low point from Arsenal’s perspective came in the 67th minute, when Havertz made a completely unnecessary sliding tackle with his foot open, striking Ugochukwu in the calf. Tierney apparently didn’t see it clearly and only gave a yellow card; however, it was incomprehensible that the VAR did not overturn this decision. Havertz was lucky in this instance, as the foul should actually have been punished with a red card. So Arsenal were allowed to finish the game with eleven men, but simply couldn’t settle down. It was only thanks to Burnley’s lack of quality that Raya had virtually nothing to do.
Apart from an energetic run by Gyökeres that nearly led to a penalty, Arsenal’s attacking efforts posed no further threat. So the Gunners spent the ten minutes of stoppage time just waiting nervously for the final whistle. When it finally sounded, the cheers at Emirates Stadium were huge. Because thanks to the narrow win over Burnley, Arsenal now need just one more victory—on the final matchday (Sunday, 5 p.m.) away against Crystal Palace—to clinch their first championship since 2004.
City Must Win
But the Gunners will also be watching Manchester City closely on Tuesday night. That’s because Pep Guardiola’s team—likely on his way out—must win at Bournemouth at 8:30 p.m. If Man City doesn’t win, Arsenal will be out of reach even before the final matchday.