Arsenal Vs Burnley: New side shown in victory?

Arsenal battled to a 1-0, last-gasp win over Burnley on Sunday afternoon. It was a hard-fought victory that displayed a resilience that has been questioned as absent in the past. But was this really a new side shown?

We’ve been here before. Embattled Arsenal. Hardened opponent. Nasty away tie. Late, late winner. Given the questions of character that have forever hung over this team, it is natural for the post-match discussion of such gritty, gravelled wins to centre of the apparent redemption of resilience. ‘Is this a new side shown?’ is regularly posited.

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And Sunday’s 1-0 win over Burnley, thanks to a late Alexis Sanchez penalty, after Aaron Ramsey was adjudged to have been pushed in the back by James Tarkowski, with the Burnley defender attempting to recover his position at the front post, is another to file under the hard-earned label. That is exactly what this was.

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Arsene Wenger’s side lacked the same fluency and control in their play. They were outnumbered in midfield, in the first half, and Burnley were able to enjoy extended periods of dominance, pressuring the back-three with testing crosses, exploiting the size and stature of centre-forward Ashley Barnes. The vibrant and boisterous wingers pushed Arsenal’s wing-backs into deep defensive positions, and any opportunity that the visitors were able to get on the ball, they were on the edge of their own area, under immediate pressure, with little to aim for. Burnley were the better team.

In the second half, Arsenal were able to wrestle control of the game. They counter pressed Burnley sharply, starving the service into Barnes, and allowed their midfield to get on the ball in more advanced positions with the ability to get their head up and pick out a pass forwards. The Gunners’ pass completion rate rose from 80% in the first half to 86% in the second half. This was because of the greater time and space they were able to engineer for themselves in midfield areas.

But chances were hard to engineer, and it wasn’t until stoppage time that the deadlock was broken. This was a win that required every ounce of determination, willpower, and sheer fight to eek out; this was a win that was very un-Arsenal like. As the narrative goes, they showed a new side.

We, though, have been here before. One win does not make a hardened side. There is a question of consistency that this team is yet to answer. Thankfully, there is ample opportunity to do so in the coming weeks. After playing Huddersfield Town on Wednesday night, Arsenal will proceed to play 10 games in December, with only two of those not coming in the Premier League — a Europa League tie against BATE Borisov, and a Carabao Cup quarter-final against West Ham United.

Next: Arsenal Vs Burnley: Player ratings

There will be much spouted about how Wenger’s side showed a new edge of character on Sunday. And that is true, to some extent. They displayed something that they have been criticised for lacking in the past. But that something, fight, desire, resolve, grit, does not exist fleetingly, surfacing in odd games here and there. It is a consistent characteristic. That is what must now be proven.