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BURNLEY 0-5 ARSENAL: Bukayo Saka’s double was sandwiched by goals from Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz to give the Gunners another comprehensive away win
Arsenal enjoyed another great away win as they defeated Burnley 5-0 at a wet and wild Turf Moor.
After last Sunday’s 6-0 defeat against West Ham, two goals from Bukayo Saka and goals from Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz hurt Vincent Kompany’s strugglers.
Odegaard opened the floodgates after just four minutes, with the Gunners looking as ruthless in East Lancashire as they did in east London. Saka then scored either side of half-time, one from a penalty, allowing Trossard and Havertz into action to put Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing side within two points of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table. and now has the best goal difference in the division.
Here are six talking points from Turf Moor.
1. The gunners continue where they left off
After claiming a 6-0 win at West Ham, Arsenal fans would have forgiven their team for a slow start in East Lancashire. However, captain Martin Odegaard was not taking it easy as within four minutes the Norwegian midfielder produced a goal to instantly respond to Liverpool’s 4-1 win at Brentford at the 12:30 kick-off.
Declan Rice ran down the left side of midfield and passed the ball to Gabriel Martinelli who found Odegaard with a beautiful cross from outside the boot. The Arsenal captain controlled the ball well and fired into the bottom right corner of James Trafford’s goal to give the Gunners a perfect start.
Now, with 20 goals and 13 assists to his name, only six players have been involved in more Premier League goals since the start of last season than Odegaard.
2. Kiwior recovers
The first 12 months of Jakub Kiwior’s Arsenal career were not easy, to say the least. A lack of playing time and being forced to play in an unnatural position at left back meant things were difficult for the Poland international.
But after Mikel Arteta was forced to turn to him in the absences of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kiwior looks like a different animal. Installed on the left of a back four, the former Spezia prospect, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Thursday, is beginning to shine thanks to his performances against Liverpool and West Ham in recent weeks.
At Turf Moor, Kiwior looked confident again and played a crucial role in Leandro Trossard’s goal that made it 4-0 just after the hour mark. Defensively, his performance was summed up by a brilliant move to remove Chelsea loanee David Detro Fofana from the game after beating William Saliba. His intervention proved important in allowing Arsenal to restart as Odegaard was once again at the center of Burnley’s pain for goal number 2.
3. The resurgence of Saka
If any player has epitomized Arsenal’s improvement since their mid-season break in mid-January, it is Bukayo Saka. With at least one goal or assist in the Gunners’ five matches since their trip to Dubai, Saka looks completely refreshed after a difficult start to the season in which he was constantly plagued by niggling injuries.
Their first shot came from the penalty spot, when a pass from Odegaard to Havertz allowed the German midfielder to pass the ball to Trossard, who caused Burnley a lot of problems during the first half. The former Brighton star was brought down and after a few minutes of nervous waiting, Saka calmly scored, despite Trafford getting it right.
It was on the brink of half-time and it only took 88 seconds for the 22-year-old to make it 3-0 after the restart. After finding himself with acres of space on the wing, Odegaard set up Sake and produced a forceful right hand that left Vincent Kompany fuming.
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4. Ramsey Concern
Just before Arsenal’s fourth goal, there was a five-minute delay after Burnley winger Aaron Ramsey went down with what appeared to be a serious knee injury and landed awkwardly. In disturbing scenes, the 21-year-old was given oxygen as he was carried off on a stretcher and gave the hosts another worry on a miserable afternoon.
Burnley’s defensive problems are evident to everyone, summed up in Havertz’s goal that made it the fifth score and caused an exodus from the stands. But the real tests for the relegation-threatened Clarets are yet to come.
5. Decisive moment for Kompany’s men
Alright, we didn’t expect Burnley to end their seven-game winless streak with a win over Arsenal, but now the pressure is really on for Kompany and co. Next up for the Clarets is a crucial trip to Crystal Palace, who are likely hoping for a new manager in Oliver Glasner.
Then comes a home game against Bournemouth before facing West Ham away from home. Kompany’s men are certainly fighting for him, but while he admirably refuses to budge on his tactical principles and fails to get results, the idea of a change in the Turf Moor dugout looks increasingly plausible. However, Clarets chairman Alan Pace could be thinking long term and few would doubt Burnley’s ability to bounce back.
6. The historic undefeated streak continues
Arsenal’s form after the mid-season break is starting to bring some pleasing statistics for the Gunners, but their unbeaten record at Burnley dates back to 1973. Arsenal now have one defeat in their last 11 league games away from home. home at Turf Moor (six wins and five draws).
Eight of those results came in the Premier League, and only Chelsea (also against Burnley, coincidentally) played more times away against a team without ever losing (nine).
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