Arsenal 1 – 0 Burnley – Match Report

Kai Havertz was our hero of the hour as he headed home what could prove to be a priceless goal in our championship chase to beat Burnley.

The German met Bukayo Saka’s 36th-minute corner to give us a fourth successive league victory when we needed them most, but despite us going close on numerous occasions and hitting the woodwork twice, we were unable to find the second goal that would have made for a more comfortable finale.

However, one was all it took to claim the victory we craved, and put us five points clear of Manchester City who must beat Bournemouth on Tuesday night. Even if they do, a victory at Crystal Palace on Sunday will see our name engraved on the Premier League trophy for the first time in 22 years.

HAVERTZ HEADS HOME

The opening half went the way of a game in which a title-chasing side at home was facing another winless their previous 27 league encounters, and as expected we dominated throughout. Despite that, there was plenty of tension in the crowd, knowing what was at stake with just seven days left in the season.

We went close to easing that tension on 14 minutes. Still buzzing from his massive goal at West Ham United eight days previously, Leandro Trossard began brightly and brilliantly plucked the ball out of the sky, played one-two with Ebere Eze, skipped past a defender and let fly from the edge of the box, but the Belgian was unlucky to see that endeavour end with the ball thumping the base of the post.

Some neat interplay between our front men caused the Clarets plenty of issues, and next to seriously test Max Weiss was Eze, who saw a neat flick and shot on the turn fly straight at the Burnley keeper, who moments later was scrambling when a miscued cross from Saka looked to be creeping in at the far post, but instead dropped just wide.

Having enjoyed some VAR fortune in our last game, things didn’t go our way on 33 minutes when Havertz put a low centre across the area into Saka’s path who looked destined to tap into the net. However, he was brought down from behind by Lucas Pires, but despite replays indicating the defender didn’t get the ball, VAR dismissed our claims.

But three minutes later, another opportunity to take the lead came, and we seized it. After Martin Odegaard saw a shot from a cutback into his path deflect wide off Lesley Ugochukwu, Saka swung the resulting corner into the box, and there was Havertz to leap highest and nod the ball into the net to see Emirates Stadium explode with relief.

PRESSURE, TENSION, RELIEF

The Clarets had never scored more than once in our 19 previous Premier League games, so a second goal looked like being key. With 90 seconds of the first half remaining, Saka looked like he had got it with one of his trademark curlers, but saw it bend just wide of the post in the last key action of the half.

The first major moments of the second all involved Eze. Firstly, a loose pass led to Jaidon Anthony trying his luck from 25 yards but saw it whizz over David Raya’s goal, but the England man nearly made up for his error when a fine Cristhain Mosquera cross was met with a scuffed volley which spun into the turf and onto the top of the bar, before he saw a header deflect off the back of the unknowing Maxime Esteve.

Midway through the second half, Havertz was cited by the VAR for a potential red card for a lunge from behind on Ugochukwu which saw him booked but no further action. He was soon replaced by Viktor Gyokeres as we searched for a key second goal.

However, try as we might, it wouldn’t arrive, with Trossard seeing an audacious volley whizz wide in the final few minutes of the 90, and then the fourth official indicated we would have to see out seven more minutes to get the three points we needed.

Burnley threw all of their physicality at us, with Zian Flemming taking out Raya in the air before Pires left Saka in a heap with a high boot, but we withstood the punishment to ultimately get the glory, and put us within 90 minutes of our first title since 2004.

FACTS AND STATS

We have now won 25+ Premier League games in three of the last four seasons, with Mikel Arteta achieving this feat as often as Arsene Wenger did.

We have won eight Premier League matches 1-0 this season, our second-most in a season behind their nine 1-0 wins in 1998/99.

Bukayo Saka became the second youngest player (24 years, 255 days) to reach both 50+ goals and 50+ assists in Premier League history (60 goals, 50 assists), behind only Wayne Rooney who was 24 years and 84 days when he did so.

Saka is the fourth youngest player to reach 50 Premier League assists, behind Cesc Fabregas (22 years, 145 days), Wayne Rooney (24 years, 84 days) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (24 years, 192 days).

We have kept 32 clean sheets this season, six more than any other side in Europe’s big-five leagues in all competitions. Only in 1970/71 (37) and 1979/80 (33) have we had more in a single season.

David Raya registered his 19th Premier League clean sheet of 2025/26, equalling the record by an Arsenal goalkeeper in a season; David Seaman kept 19 in both 1993/94 and 1998/99.

Kai Havertz has scored more Premier League goals against Burnley than any other opponent (5).

WHAT’S NEXT

We head to Crystal Palace on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday, looking to seal the title at Selhurst Park. Then, six days later, we’ll take to the field for our second Champions League final when we face Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on Saturday, May 30.