Arsenal 3 Burnley 1: Aubameyang strikes twice as Mesut Ozil captains Gunners

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James Benge22 December 2018

Arsenal overcame a spirited and robust challenge from Burnley as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck twice to earn his side a 3-1 win over the Clarets at the Emirates Stadium.

Ashley Barnes set the scene for a grandstand finish at the Emirates when he struck to halve the deficit two Aubameyang goals had left Burnley facing, and it was not until Alex Iwobi scuffed in an added-time winner that Arsenal were home and dry.

Despite the hard work, this proved to be it was an impressive display from Arsenal side marshalled by captain Mesut Ozil, who typified all that was good about this incisive display.

Ozil has been the centre of speculation over his long-term future in north London after being left out of the EFL Cup defeat to Tottenham for tactical reasons. Emery might insist that the German’s £350,000-a-week wages are not a factor in his thinking when he selects a side, but Arsenal are not a side who can afford to have a player so generously remunerated that cannot be trusted against top tier opponents.

Still Ozil proved what he can do when the moment is right in the 14th minute. One curling, pass whose topspin took it straight into the path of the overlapping Sead Kolasinac took nine Burnley players out of the game; the Bosnian international’s cutback was none too shabby and Aubameyang was able to poke in the opener.

Arsenal’s progress to a first half-time lead in the Premier League in 222 days, dating back to the final game of Arsene Wenger’s tenure, was relatively serene though yet again Emery was forced into an early reshuffle.

Nacho Monreal limped out eight minutes before the interval, forcing Emery to ditch his back four and place Stephan Lichtsteiner and Granit Xhaka alongside Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

Any sense that Burnley might be able to capitalise on a reshuffled rearguard was snuffed out four minutes into the second half as Aubameyang retook his lead in the golden boot race from Mohamed Salah.

It was the sort of peerless counter that Arsenal at their best under Emery’s predecessor could score from at will. Kolasinac, more mobile, more decisive and fitter under his new manager, motored down the left flank before flipping the ball infield to Aubameyang via Lacazette. As was the case around these parts 15 years ago the man in the No.14 shirt made no mistake with a ferocious effort that flew past Joe Hart.

With Christmas in the relegation zone looming for Burnley it was perhaps no wonder they threw themselves into the fightback, and a fight it certainly was, with abandon. Sean Dyche and his coaching staff fumed when they were denied a penalty for what they felt was a shove by Kolasinac on Kevin Long.

There were no such protestations over the refereeing for the incorrectly awarded corner that earned Burnley that chance following a free-kick from which every one of their attackers had been offside.

Their goal would come just after the hour in scrappy fashion. Arsenal had the numbers back to clear a cross from the right but on multiple occasions failed to do so, the ball eventually breaking for Barnes to hammer past Bernd Leno.

Burnley knew how they were going to get back into this match and wasted no time in winding up Arsenal. Even Dyche was getting involved, sharing a robust exchange of views with Granit Xhaka as the tackles flew in.

Arsenal would end this game battered and bruised - though Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi gave as good as they got - but ultimately victorious when Iwobi pounced on Ozil’s deflected shot in the box and lifted the ball over Joe Hart, with the Gunners moving level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea for the time being.

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