Arsenal took a step closer to the English championship title by defeating Burnley 1-0 on Monday night at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners could even be crowned champions on Tuesday if Manchester City fails to win against Bournemouth.
Awaiting an English championship title for 22 years, Arsenal is close to achieving their goal! The Gunners now have a five-point lead over Manchester City, who can only gain a maximum of six points. On Monday night at the Emirates Stadium, Mikel Arteta’s men defeated second-to-last Burnley 1-0, putting them on the brink of being crowned champions.
Burnley, who are already relegated, and led by interim manager Michael Jackson for the end of the season, tried to cool down a fervent Emirates Stadium from the 3rd minute. However, Florentino’s shot after a corner went wide, missing the target. The Gunners then took control of the game and created multiple opportunities. First, Saka’s shot was blocked by Estéve (12th minute), one of Burnley’s three French players (along with Tchaouna and Ugochukwu), then Havertz missed the target (14th minute) on a good pass from Trossard. Trossard himself hit the post with a shot from outside the box.
Havertz scored from a corner
Burnley focused on counterattacking, and Mejbri could have caused an upset but missed his chance. The last fifteen minutes before halftime belonged entirely to Arsenal, who appealed for a penalty after a possible foul on Saka by Pires, but VAR ruled otherwise (34th minute). Three minutes later, Odegaard won a corner after a blocked shot, and from Saka’s corner, Havertz scored with a header to give Arsenal a deserved lead (1-0, 37th minute). Saka could have doubled the lead just before half-time with a beautiful curling shot that just missed.
In the second half, Arsenal continued to dominate the game while Burnley settled for long-range shots (Anthony in the 51st minute, Mejbri in the 57th). Eze came close to scoring twice, first with a shot that hit the post and then with a header that Estéve saved off the line. The Emirates saw victory approaching, but everyone held their breath in the 67th minute when VAR reviewed a possible red card for Havertz for a challenge on Ugochukwu. The German forward received a yellow card and was substituted by Gyökeres.
Arsenal could be crowned champions on Tuesday if they secure victory, having now amassed 82 points before their upcoming match against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Manchester City, with 77 points, will face Bournemouth on Tuesday and Aston Villa on the final day. If City fails to win against Bournemouth, Arsenal will be crowned champions and can celebrate on May 19, eleven days before their Champions League final against PSG.
