Arsenal hosted Burnley at the Emirates Stadium in their early kickoff in the Premier League. After losing two games in a row when their undefeated run was ended, Arsenal are hoping to get a win to boost back their confidence. Last time they played against each other, Arsenal won 5-0 in Arsene Wenger’s last game at the Emirates Stadium. Mesut Ozil starts as captain with his first League start since their 2-1 victory versus Bournemouth on November 26. Arsenal fans are surely excited about their chances with the trio of Mesut Ozil, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, and Lacazetter starting upfront, and Sead Kolasinac making his comeback being a major miss in their last two defeats.
GOAL! ARSENAL SCORE IN THE FIRST 14 MINUTES WITH A TEAM GOAL CONSISTING OF 18 PASSES!! From outside the box, Mesut Ozil gives Kolasinac a magificent pass behind the Burnley defenders. The Bosnian beats his man and passes it back to Aubameyang who isn’t missing from there. Mesut Ozil’s world class vision is shown here again, and the German captain is making a claim to manager Unai Emery why he should start him more.
In the 33rd minute, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Ashley Barnes get in a tussle but are separated from the players, Barnes is given a yellow card for beginning this. 5 minutes later, Nacho Monreal is subbed off with an injury for Stephan Lichtsteiner, this a major blow for Arsenal who are currently facing a defensive crisis. Sokratis is booked after pulling down Barnes in the 41st minute. Being low on defenders due to injuries, this was unprofessional from the Greek defender, with his chances of being suspended for a match increasing.
Arsenal lead 1-0 at half-time for the first time this season, ending their horrendous first half stat of never leading. Pierre Emerick- Aubameyang is currently joint top scorer in the league now with Mohamed Salah at 11 goals, and the golden boot race is starting to intensify.
GOAL! ARESENAL DOUBLE THEIR LEAD AFTER THREE MINUTES IN THE SECOND HALF!! Sead Kolasinac bolts down the left flank and passes it in the center outside the box. Lacazette retrieves it and passes it to Aubameyang, and the Gabonese striker smashes it in the top right corner. Aubameyang is now top scorer in the league with 12 goals!
Burnley were shouting for a penalty but it wasn’t awarded to them, Kolasinac pushes down Long inside the box but the referee didn’t see it. Arsenal get luck on their side but here’s another shout for VAR to be introduced in the league, as the referee can’t always spot everything.
GOAL! BURNLEY HAVE MADE IT 2-1 AND IT’S GAME ON!! It all began from the free kick in the middle of the pitch, the ball gets in the middle of the box and the Arsenal players fail to get it out. The ball rambles around and it gets to Barnes who scores, he’s been a menace to the Arsenal defense the whole game and Burnley are back in the game.
Alexandre Iwobi comes on for Alexandre Lacazette near the end of the match and the Frenchman is gutted to be taken off, he really wanted to get his name on the score sheet.
GOAALL! ARSENAL HAVE FOR SURE WON THE GAME BY NOW! Arsenal win the ball back and begin a counter-attack. Iwobi gets to ball forward and gives it Ozil who carries it into the box, Iwobi is left open and Ozil gets it back to him for the Nigerian to score in the 91st minute. Iwobi had finally gotten the goal that he’s needed, being such an important player throughout this season starting attacks. This is his second goal in the league, with his last goal dating all the way back to Arsenal’s 3-2 defeat versus Chelsea on August 18.
The match ends and it’s a 3-1 win for Arsenal who surely needed it. Mesut Ozil’s return to the team has been shown important, creating the chances for the two of the three goals. Aubameyang jumps over Mohamed Salah in the golden boot race, and only Lionel Messi has more goals than him in Europe’s top five leagues! Sead Kolasinac’s return was outstanding, with the Bosnian’s attacking threat from the left wing being tremendous. With Mustafi and Bellerin returning soon, Arsenal’s back line is starting to look threatening once more. Arsenal face Brighton & Hove Albion on Boxing day, where another win is needed for their top four chances to sustain, currently being in 5th place.
Burnley now have staggering 12 losses this season! Completely absurd from the team that finished at 7th place last season. Currently being in 18th place, Manager Sean Dyche must be waiting for the transfer window, hoping he’s able to bring in some reinforcements to get his team out of the relegation zone. They face Everton next on Boxing day, where a miracle will be needed for them to get a win against Marco Silva’s men who are currently in 10th place.
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