Burnley vs Arsenal: 4 talking points from infuriating draw

Arsenal were left to rue missed chances and wretched officiating as Granit Xhaka’s first half howler gifted Burnley a point in Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw.

After a ‘lengthy’ break from playing, Mikel Arteta brought Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka back into the team for the trip to Turf Moor.

The former made his mark just six minutes into the contest when he fired low past Nick Pope after some neat footwork in the box, setting the tone for what should have been a cakewalk as the Gunners dominated the opening half.

Chances went begging for Bukayo Saka and as half-time approached, lunacy from Granit Xhaka gifted the Clarets a route back into the game. Receiving a pass from Bernd Leno in his own box, he opted to take an unnecessary touch and play the ball across goal, hitting his woeful pass straight into Chris Wood’s midriff and into the net.

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4 talking points as Arsenal draw 1-1 with Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday

Despite the disappointment, the belief was still there that more chances would fall. They did, but they weren’t converted.

Nicolas Pepe missed a sitter to put the Gunners back in front and then was denied a penalty by the officials, before seeing his volley hit the bar via the shoulder of Erik Pieters. Kevin Friend brandished the red card and pointed to the spot, but VAR correctly reversed his decision.

There was still time for more drama as Dani Ceballos crashed an effort off the post in added time, drawing the curtain on an infuriating afternoon in Lancashire. Arsenal drop points and drift even further away from their already faint hopes of securing European football.

Here are four talking points.

Errors Show No Signs of Dissipating After Granit Xhaka Howler

The year is 2030, Arsenal have just signed a 33-year-old Chelsea midfielder and he’s making his first start for the club. A corner comes in and he jumps for the ball, clutching it in both his hands before waking up from his daydream. His teammates look at him as if to say ‘yeah, he’s alright, he’ll fit right in’.

This is the way it’s going for Arsenal. Mistakes, errors, brain farts, or whatever categorisation they’re given, have become sewn into the very fabric of the side. From back to front, there are only a small handful it feels don’t have mistakes in them. Even those can pull a surprise or two.

Dissecting the performance against Burnley, there were positives woven together with numerous negatives in the final third.

How and why the Gunners lost that match can be debated numerous times, but if Xhaka doesn’t do what he did – he has come out and apologised for his mistake – then the chances of three points are increased ten-fold. Arsenal may still have missed their opportunities, but they’ve have held a lead.

Now part and parcel of being an Arsenal supporter, there is no chance to rest assured as the inevitable meltdown is just around the corner, teasing you in glimpses then smacking you straight in the face with stupid decisions. While progress on the pitch is unquestionable, it can only go so far being hamstring by foolishness.