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.

Handball Farce Extends Arsenal Grumblings

Arsenal should have won the game on Saturday. With or without refereeing decisions, they created more than enough chances to claim three points and only have themselves to blame in that regard.

As for not getting the rub of the green, penalties are a part of the game. It’s a low-scoring sport and the art of winning a spot-kick has become a growing trend across Europe as it presents you with the best possible opportunity of, well, scoring a goal. For that reason, when you get one you, quite simply, have a better chance of winning a football match.

On what planet are the officials who deemed Erik Pieters’ handball not worthy of a pop at goal from 12 yards? The topic of proximity isn’t even relevant as what the defender has effectively tackled Pepe with his arm. The ball is going beyond him and putting the Ivorian in a fine position to create a chance, and he’s impeded him.

When even staunch refereeing cheerleader Peter Walton admits it’s a penalty then there has clearly been an error. One you’d hope VAR would spot. The referees, however, thought otherwise. Probably the only referees in the country who deemed that not worthy of a spot-kick.

With three excellent penalty takers in the side, Arsenal may very well have put their noses back in front. There is a possibility it gets missed and Burnley go up the other end and score. Who knows.

But it would be nice to know what would have happened if the correct decision was made. It wasn’t, and another immensely frustrating decision goes against Arsenal.

Centre-Back Decisions to Make for Mikel Arteta

With the break that came following the Leicester game, the decisions for central defence were intriguing ones on Arteta’s part.

Pablo Mari was OK against Leicester with reasons for optimism as well as a couple of questionable involvements, while David Luiz has played his way into the starting lineup with some of his better performances in an Arsenal shirt to date.

Against a Burnley side who were admittedly weak in possession, the pair were never hugely tested but still put in solid outings that kept Chris Wood and Matej Vydra quiet for large spells. With Olympiacos to come in midweek, who will partner Luiz makes for an interesting decision.

Gabriel is the better defender of the two left-footed options, and Mari’s added height (it’s not that much difference at all) will have played a part in Arteta’s selections for Saturday, however it’s not ideal to have a centre-back come in for a huge European fixture abroad without playing for two weeks. Saka, who was only rested for Leicester, had an off-day at Turf Moor which would have been impacted by his small break.

Based on quality alone it should be Gabriel in the heart of defence against Olympiacos, even if Arteta may be offering an insight into his preferred partnership.

Thomas Partey Gets Valuable Minutes

Playing a lovely one-two with Xhaka in Arsenal’s third, Thomas Partey burst beyond his marker to receive the return, took one touch to let him scan the pitch ahead before playing a ball through to Willian in between the lines that cut out the entire Burnley midfield.

That one passage of play was everything the other midfielders in the squad can’t provide. Perhaps on occasion if the situation allows it.

Partey’s ball through to Willian created the opening goal. The line-breaking pass arriving after a nimble one-two demonstrated exactly why he was brought to the club. Having the ability to make those differences in matches despite barely playing this season and not being at full fitness is what this side has lacked in abundance.

His influence on the game waned in the second half as sharpness and fatigue played a part. Nonetheless, his weight of pass and footwork shone on a pitch that was crying out for the ball to be anywhere but on the turf.

It’s vital that the Ghanaian gets minutes into his legs as the Europa League last 16 comes around as that’s Arsenal’s one and only basket left this season. And with each passing game we’ll be witness to further sequences of play as in the opening stages. Partey at the estimated 65% he was at on Saturday is still streaks ahead of the rest. As that number climbs fans will keep purring.