Granit Xhaka blunder and late VAR drama cost Arsenal in draw at Burnley
over 4 years in The guardian
Nobody should doubt Arsenal look a more coherent side than the last time they faced Burnley but nobody ought to question their capacity for self-immolation, either. In December they lost catastrophically at the Emirates thanks to an own goal from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Granit Xhaka’s needless sending-off. This time Aubameyang quickly settled his personal score but Arsenal, who had been completely in control, threw it away after an astounding Xhaka error let Chris Wood equalise. Dani Ceballos rattled a post with the game’s last action but Mikel Arteta will wonder how the game had not long since been won.
It took only six minutes for Aubameyang to suggest this might be a cruise. Arsenal had begun slickly and, while the goal’s conception underlined just how smoothly they are able to work through the thirds when Thomas Partey is fit, their opponents might wonder how they were so easily prised open. Partey’s slide-rule pass from one side of halfway to another invited Willian to eat up space and, in doing so, continue his recent renaissance. Aubameyang still had plenty to do when receiving Willian’s pass to the left of the area and Matt Lowton, seemingly dazzled by the striker’s stepovers, ushered him inside on to his preferred foot. Now there was space for a low, drilled shot towards the near post. Nick Pope got his right hand on the ball but watched as it trickled into the corner. Continue reading...