Arsenal: Winning on Aaron Ramsey penalty makes it even sweeter

Arsenal won late at Burnley because Aaron Ramsey suffered a foul in the box and people want to complain. Let the gripes rain in, it makes it even better.

For the third time in their last three match-ups, Arsenal vs Burnley was decided in controversial circumstances in favor of the Gunners. This time around, it was via a penalty where Aaron Ramsey was pushed in the box. Alexis Sanchez then slotted home the penalty and that was that, a hard-fought match determined in the last minute.

On the one hand, it’s a shame that, of all clubs this had to happen against, it had to happen against Burnley. I have massive respect for Burnley and I do wish this could have been against, like, Manchester United or something. But I’ll take it.

And credit where it is due, Sean Dyche did note that once you put your hands on a player in the box, it is always going to get given. So yes, Dyche did “rage” as the headlines suggest, but not in opposition to the call, although that may have been his veiled intent.

Meanwhile, people will gripe and groan about the penalty that shouldn’t have been given and I will lap it up like a parched camel at an oasis.

If you are one of those people that believes in a bit of karma, or believes that injustices will right themselves, then congratulations, we are well on our way to that. Arsenal received a call that even the opposing manager noted should have been given. Ramsey isn’t a flopper. He has no resume for that. Unlike, say, Dele Alli. Maybe he made sure the ref saw it, but a foul is a foul.

That isn’t the point though. Even if this was a bad call – which it wasn’t – then it’s long, long, long, long, long overdue. Think back against Stoke City. Alexandre Lacazette’s offside goal that wasn’t actually offside? That would have given the Gunners a 1-0 lead. Instead Stoke waltz down and take the lead.

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Injustice.

Think about Watford. Arsenal were denied a questionable penalty with the scores level 1-1 and Watford come down to the other end and suffer an identical tackle to the one not calleed on Arsenal and a penalty is given, Watford win.

Think about Manchester City. The Gunners give up a penalty, which I won’t even object to, because it was clumsy, but when they pull one back and jerk the momentum away, the most blatant offside call ever was missed and City put the match to bed.

Even against Burnley, Hector Bellerin suffered a blatant penalty from upturned cleats and 0% ball that was not called.

So do not try to tell me that the Gunners were gifted anything. Same goes against Tottenham. They want to say the free kick given that spawned Shkodran Mustafi’s goal was soft? Fine. Tottenham had a nearly identical soft foul given. The difference is they didn’t score.

Next: 5 Things Learned Against Burnley

I love that Arsenal got a call. Shame that it was against tough and gritty Burnley, but it’s long overdue. And I will continue to bask in all the naysayers rubbish about how we didn’t deserve the win, because I guarantee you those same people aren’t saying that Stoke or Watford didn’t deserve the win.

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