Goals: Arsenal: Sanchez (90 pen).
Man of the Match/Goat of the Game: There was no one standout in the match, but Alexis gets my vote as he scored a key goal with lots of pressure on him.
Referee Rating: Lee Mason 6. Mason’s decision to award a penalty to Arsenal on what was probably the last play of the match was courageous. Did Ramsey sell it? Yes. Could he have got the ball if he wasn’t fouled? Probably not.
That said, Mason gave Arsenal very little for most of the match. Any contact, particularly in Burnley’s half and he awarded them the free-kicks. He could’ve awarded Bellerin a penalty for a foul by Brady, but chose to give Brady the benefit of the doubt.
Manager Rating: Wenger 7. Mesut Ozil was a late absentee because of illness, so Iwobi was given the chance to take his place. The team was solid defensively and really started to assert themselves offensively in the second half.
Arsenal performance: A key win against a stubborn opponent with a last minute penalty. Burnley will feel aggrieved with the awarding of the penalty, but Arsenal escape with three big points. The Gunners failed to create many direct chances on goal despite having the lion’s share of possession. They were solid defensively, although Gudmundsson hit the upright in the first half.
Conclusion: A last minute win has to give the Gunners more belief and confidence. Once again they are in the top four but need to string more wins together to solidify their place. For once a refereeing decision has gone their way and hopefully the players believe that fortune is on their side.
Player Ratings:
Cech 7: He may have got a slight touch on Gudmundsson’s drive against the post, but he had few saves to make for most of the match. He made one solid punch on a cross and he made a nifty little move against a Burnley striker.
Koscielny 8: He came forward a lot in the second half as Burnley conceded space to him. He did have one mix-up with Bellerin early which created some problems.
Mustafi 8: He kept Barnes under wraps and he was solid throughout, although he did concede a poor free-kick from the edge of the area. His remonstrating with the referee is a little much and puts him in danger of yellow cards.
Monreal 8: Nacho enjoys taking shots at goal these days. His effort in the first half was just wide, his effort in the second half was hopelessly high and wide. He played well defensively.
Bellerin 7: On several occasions he was muscled off the ball in the Arsenal half and he was fortunate Burnley were unable to expoit these situations. He made some poor choices on several attacks, the worst of which was on a fast break with him deciding to shoot at a Burnley defender instead of passing it. He was fouled in the box, but the referee decided not to award a penalty.
Xhaka 7: He looked averse to being aggressive, especially in the first half, probably due to getting a red card against Burnley last year. He had one poor shot at goal.
Ramsey 8: He had two difficult chances to score and failed to get both chances on target. He drew the penalty which won the match.
Kolasinac 8: Was attacking virtually all the time as the game wound down. He had a header which he failed to get on target and he made one great weaving run but his pass to Ramsey was intercepted.
Iwobi 6: Will be upset that he couldn’t take advantage of this opportunity to impress the boss. He made a few good runs, but he wasn’t able to make the needed final pass.
Lacazette 7: He made a fantastic cross to Ramsey in the first half, but Rambo couldn’t convert. He participated in the buildup of several other attacks, but he received little service. He had a couple of shots, but they weren’t dangerous.
Sanchez 8: I worried about his taking the penalty at the end of the match, thinking back of when he took the ball from Cazorla and didn’t deliver. But today he did, hitting the ball with enough pace that it beat the keeper. He looked our most dangerous player today, but he had few direct chances. His work rate continues to be prolific.
Substitutes:
Wilshere 7: Came on and had a good showing. He was involved in the buildup of several good moves and he had one shot that deflected wide.
Welbeck n/a: He added some pace at the end, but was not on long enough to influence the ending.