Arsenal go second with victory over Burnley

SourceBBC

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Arsenal moved level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City courtesy of a hard-fought victory over beleaguered Burnley.

The Gunners, beaten at Newcastle last weekend, had struggled to break down a disciplined Clarets side for much of the first half but broke the deadlock when Leandro Trossard bravely nodded in at the far post for Arsenal’s 1,000th goal at Emirates Stadium.

Burnley equalised eight minutes into the second half when Josh Brownhill’s low shot was deflected into the net by Gabriel, but the visitors were level for only three minutes before William Saliba headed in Trossard’s corner from point-blank range.

Oleksandr Zinchenko completed the scoring with an acrobatic finish into the top corner after Dara O’Shea had inadvertently steered another Trossard corner onto the crossbar.

Arsenal finished the game with 10 men after second-half substitute Fabio Vieira was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on Brownhill, but the Gunners held on comfortably.

Burnley stay in the relegation zone while Arsenal trail league leaders City on goal difference – although Pep Guardiola’s team can restore their three-point lead with victory at Chelsea on Sunday.

“I’m very happy with the performance,” Gunners boss Mikel Arteta told BBC Sport. “The way the team dominated the game, we fully deserved to win.

“They were defending really deep [but] we generated a lot today and looked a threat every time [we came forward]. The timing of the equaliser was perfect.”