Arsenal vs Burnley

Arsenal3

Sánchez 70′, 90′Chambers 72′

Burnley0

• FT 90 +4
• HT 0-0

1 November 2014Last updated at 18:40 GMT

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By James GheerbrantBBC Sport

• Arsenal earn consecutive league wins for first time this season
• Sanchez scores ninth and 10th goals of the season
• Chambers nets his first senior goal
• Walcott makes first appearance since January

Arsenal recorded a second successive league win for the first time this season as Burnley's woes continued.

The Clarets frustrated Arsene Wenger's side for 70 minutes before the excellent Alexis Sanchez struck with a close-range header.

Calum Chambers then added his first senior goal from a corner as Burnley's resistance crumbled.

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Arsenal 3-0 Burnley: Alexis Sanchez and Luis Suarez are similar - Wenger

Sanchez fired in his second from Kieran Gibbs's cross to leave Sean Dyche's side rooted to the bottom of the table.

The scoreline was harsh on Burnley, who defended manfully for much of the game, but once Arsenal discovered a cutting edge the visitors' rearguard was left brutally exposed.

The Gunners had been behind in each of their previous four home league games this season but a repeat of that scenario was never likely against a Burnley side who offered little going forward.

The hosts dominated possession in the opening exchanges but initially struggled to fashion clear-cut chances.

Walcott ends 10-month absence
Theo Walcott came on as a substitute in the 80th minute to make his first appearance since the FA Cup third-round win over Tottenham on 4 January.

Sanchez was their liveliest attacking outlet and it was he who created their best opportunity of the first period.

The Chilean played in Danny Welbeck, who skipped past two defenders and beat goalkeeper Tom Heaton only to see his shot come back off Kieran Trippier.

Heaton was in fine form, parrying well from two rasping Sanchez drives from outside the area.

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Arsenal 3-0 Burnley: Sean Dyche realistic after Arsenal defeat

However, Burnley's biggest escape of the first 45 minutes came when George Boyd, who had already been booked, appeared to handle a corner but the offence was not seen by referee Craig Pawson.

The Clarets continued to hold firm after the interval to raise hopes of an unlikely point but Arsenal's breakthrough eventually arrived through the irrepressible Sanchez.

Chambers sent in a fine cross from the right and summer signing Sanchez got above Trippier to power in his ninth goal of the season.

Burnley's resistance was broken and Arsenal took just two minutes to add a second.

The Clarets failed to defend a corner and Chambers bundled home after Heaton had saved from Welbeck.

After Walcott was introduced, the Burnley keeper continued to impress, brilliantly denying Lukas Podolski.

But he could do nothing about Sanchez's second as the visitors slumped to a sixth league defeat.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger:

"It was a question of patience and quality and I think we did all of that. It was important not to concede a goal and in the end it was a comfortable win.

"It was a top performance from Alexis Sanchez. His quality is exceptional, he takes responsibility and goes at people. He fights, he can score, that is what you want from great players.

"That appearance from Theo Walcott gives him the confidence to play again. I think he will soon be back to his best level."

Burnley manager Sean Dyche:

"They are a high quality side. They create chances and it could have been more.

"We had been solid before Tom Heaton had to make great saves but after they scored they opened the game up. They have pace, power and energy but they also have tactical awareness.

"It's not just about one win. We need more than one win, make no mistake. That is the challenge. It is a high state of learning in the Premier League."

Burnley keeper Tom Heaton has not kept a clean sheet since the draw with Sunderland on 20 September

Theo Walcott made his first appearance since January

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could not add to his one league goal this season

LINEUP, BOOKINGS (1) & SUBSTITUTIONS (5)

Arsenal

• 01 Szczesny
• 21 Chambers
• 04 Mertesacker
• 18 Monreal
• 03 Gibbs
• 08 Arteta (Ramsey - 63' )
• 20 Flamini
• 15 Oxlade-Chamberlain (Walcott - 80' )
• 17 Sánchez
• 19 Cazorla
• 23 Welbeck (Podolski - 80' )

Substitutes

• 07 Rosicky
• 09 Podolski
• 14 Walcott
• 16 Ramsey
• 22 Sanogo
• 26 Martinez
• 39 Bellerin

Burnley

• 01 Heaton
• 02 Trippier
• 04 Duff
• 05 Shackell
• 23 Ward
• 21 Boyd Booked
• 08 Marney (Chalobah - 80' )
• 14 Jones
• 37 Arfield
• 10 Ings
• 17 Sordell (Jutkiewicz - 69' )

Substitutes

• 06 Mee
• 07 Wallace
• 11 Kightly
• 19 Jutkiewicz
• 20 Chalobah
• 22 Gilks
• 25 Keane

Ref: Craig Pawson

Att: 60,012

MATCH STATS

Shots

326

On target

122

Corners

181

Fouls

59

Live Text Commentary

Full time

Full TimeMatch ends, Arsenal 3, Burnley 0.

90:00+3:17Full time

Full TimeSecond Half ends, Arsenal 3, Burnley 0.

90:00+2:14

Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

90:00+2:14

Foul by David Jones (Burnley).

90:00+1:30

Attempt saved. Danny Ings (Burnley) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.

90:00+0:23Goal scored

Goal!Goal! Arsenal 3, Burnley 0. Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Kieran Gibbs with a cross.

90:00+0:08

Lukas Podolski (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the left wing.

90:00+0:08

Foul by George Boyd (Burnley).

88:47

Attempt missed. Per Mertesacker (Arsenal) header from the left side of the six yard box misses to the right. Assisted by Santiago Cazorla with a cross following a corner.

88:23

Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by George Boyd.

87:57

Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Tom Heaton.

87:55

Attempt saved. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.

87:29

Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Kieran Trippier.

86:01

Attempt missed. Lukas Podolski (Arsenal) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Alexis Sánchez with a cross.

85:15

Lukas Podolski (Arsenal) hits the bar with a left footed shot from the centre of the box. Assisted by Theo Walcott with a cross.

84:22

Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Tom Heaton.

84:19

Attempt saved. Theo Walcott (Arsenal) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Alexis Sánchez.

84:14

Attempt blocked. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Lukas Podolski.

83:33

Attempt saved. Lukas Podolski (Arsenal) left footed shot from very close range is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Santiago Cazorla with a cross.

83:08

Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Jason Shackell.

Arsenal the winner

Arsenal v Burnley - Match Preview

By Rob Kelly

THE QUOTE

“If we can now win our games, the fact that we haven’t lost a lot will help us in the league and that’s our target. We know Burnley are a difficult opponent - much more difficult than the numbers indicate in the table. We will focus and be ready.” - Arsène Wenger

THE SET UP

If last weekend’s victory at Sunderland owed more than a little to the generosity of the hosts, it has also provided the Gunners with that most valuable of sporting commodities: momentum.

Hours before the clocks went back, Arsenal secured their second successive win for the first time since the season got underway. If their dramatic Champions League victory at Anderlecht three days earlier had, in truth, been something of a smash-and-grab, their performance on Wearside was much more compelling.

Wenger pre-Burnley

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 Fortune played its part as firstly Wes Brown and then Vito Mannone presented Alexis Sanchez with his two goals, but the level of control the Gunners exerted on proceedings was encouraging. Confidence is seeping back into Arsenal bones - now the challenge is to keep climbing the table, find some fluidity and maintain that momentum.

That’s easier said than done this season. This has been a campaign marked by shock results, with some of the traditional powerhouses falling to surprise defeats and Southampton and West Ham United gatecrashing the top four. Last weekend alone saw the Hammers beat champions Manchester City, Hull hold Liverpool at Anfield and Newcastle stun Tottenham.

It serves as a warning to Arsenal, who welcome the Premier League’s bottom club, Burnley, to Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Without a win so far and having conceded 12 goals in their last four matches, the stats don’t make pretty reading for those of a Clarets persuasion. But Arsène Wenger is well aware of their quality and the need for his side to keep their focus.

“I think there’s a difference between the quality of their performance and the number of points they get,” he said. “They still have to adapt to the Premier League but looking at the quality of their games, their position is not definite.”

ARSENAL

Wenger is likely to shuffle his pack on Saturday with questions marks over the fitness of both Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs. The manager is confident that the latter will pass a test to take his place in the backline, but his England international team-mate has been all but ruled out.

While it may be an unwelcome development for the manager, he was pleased with the defensive platform provided by Mikel Arteta - poised for his 100th league appearance for Arsenal this weekend - and Mathieu Flamini at Sunderland and could opt to keep the same pairing in central midfield.

The way he’s integrated our values and qualities is absolutely fantastic. Then you add the numbers to it and the goals he’s scored this season, it’s fantastic

Arsène Wenger

One by-product of their partnership at the Stadium of Light was the freedom it afforded Alexis in the No 10 role. The Chile international responded with another electric performance, and won the club’s Player of the Month award for October two days later after polling more than 90 per cent of the votes.

However, despite eight goals and three assists in his last 11 games, Wenger believes Alexis’ impact has been a touch underrated in some quarters. For not only is he one of the most effective, most efficient players in the Premier League, he must be one of hardest workers as well.

“If you consider the hype, yes [he is underrated],” the manager said. “I think it just confirms that we made a good buy and that’s what we wanted.

“I believe there’s something more than the numbers - there’s the attitude, the teamwork, the team ethic. The way he’s integrated our values and qualities is absolutely fantastic. Then you add the numbers to it and the goals he’s scored this season, it’s fantastic.

“You want a great player to be a great example and you become a great example with your attitude and your winning desire. He’s a winner and he wants to win every game. That’s why that comes out. Everybody will say, ‘Yes, Alexis is a great player and he is also a fighter’.”

THE OPPOSITION

Burnley arrive at Emirates Stadium as heavy underdogs after a difficult start to the season as they adapt to life in the top flight. However, the quality and spirit of their performances has not gone unnoticed by Wenger, who expects a tougher test than the statistics would indicate.

“They’re still learning,” he said. “We have analysed them and we are really concentrating on moving on in this league. We know that how well we do against teams like this at home will be vital.

Matchday programme

Find out more about Aaron Ramsey as we take an in-depth look at his career

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“We did it well last season and we want to get back to that this season as well. They’re quite dangerous going forward and they don’t give many chances away if you analyse their numbers. We have to produce the same quality of performance that we did against Sunderland and then we will get there.”

Wenger’s opposite number on Saturday, Sean Dyche, may be a relative managerial novice but the Frenchman has been impressed with what he has seen of him - despite a limited budget and a quiet summer in the transfer market.

“The problem is that when you come up, you have to anticipate what will happen in the future,” he said. “When you come up you have to analyse what happens financially if you go down. I think they just made that decision [not to spend much] because they have the quality of players that is absolutely exceptional.

“Dyche has done extremely well. The quality of the manager is to get the maximum out of the team and I think he has done that extremely well. He also has a style of play that is very good, and he has a very positive attitude towards football - I respect that as well.”

SUMMING UP

While they may have won two on the bounce, the Gunners are yet to produce a truly comprehensive home display in the Premier League this season. There have been sustained periods of pressure - against Manchester City, against Tottenham - but they have yet to really cut loose.

Team News

Arsenal: Gnabry (match fitness), Koscielny (Achilles), Ospina (thigh), Ozil (knee), Sanogo (hamstring), Debuchy (ankle), Giroud (tibia), Wilshere (doubt - knee), Gibbs (doubt - hip) Burnley: Reid (groin)

A game against the bottom club should be an inviting prospect then for a side rich on talent but still searching for their most fluid football. However, after trailing in each of their last four Premier League games at the Emirates, it is a case of taking it one step at a time.

Wenger may be wary of the threat posed by Burnley, but he also has his sights firmly set on another morale-boosting victory. No other result will do if they are to ratchet up the pressure on pacesetters Chelsea.

“[To go on a winning run] is what we want,” he said. “We won on the back of a difficult Champions League game away from home and then won away from home again.

“If we can now win our games, the fact that we haven’t lost a lot will help us in the league and that’s our target. We know Burnley are difficult opponents - much more difficult than the numbers indicate in the table. We will focused and be ready for this game.”

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