Postpublished at 21:00 BST 18 May
HT: Arsenal 1-0 Burnley
Arsenal have scored a set-piece goal (excl. pens) in 19 different Premier League games this season, a joint record by a team in a 38-game season.
At a glance
Arsenal one more victory from title after Kai Havertz winner
Gunners will be champions on Tuesday if Manchester City fail to beat Bournemouth
Havertz fortunate to escape second-half red card
Arsenal took a huge step towards becoming Premier League champions as Kai Havertz's goal was enough to beat relegated Burnley at Emirates Stadium.
Havertz had an eventful night - as he escaped a red card after a video assistant referee review ruled that a late challenge on Lesley Ugochukwu was not bad enough to be upgraded from a yellow.
Victory means that the Gunners are five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who have two games to play and take on Bournemouth on Tuesday.
And if Pep Guardiola's side drop points against the Cherries, then Arsenal will be crowned Champions.
Mikel Arteta named an attacking line-up for the match with Championship-bound Burnley and the Gunners had the upper hand from the start, but it took until the 37th minute for Havertz to nod in the opener from a trademark Bukayo Saka corner.
Before taking the lead, Arsenal came close to scoring through Leandro Trossard, whose powerful shot hit the post, while Saka saw an excellent cross roll across the face of the goal after he beat full back Lucas Pires.
The victory means that Arsenal are close to winning their first Premier League title for 22 years.
And even if City beat Bournemouth on Tuesday, Arteta knows that victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday will crown his team champions.
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We played some of our best football of season in first half - Arteta
The only thing that mattered for Arsenal here was the result.
In beating Burnley, Arsenal have left City with no room for error now.
Before the match, the Arsenal fans held up a banner that said "three games to make history" - two remaining games in the Premier League, plus the Champions League final against Paris St-Germain in Budapest on 30 May.
As Arsenal have dealt with the title pressure in recent weeks, manager Arteta has said that he has been making some of his big selection decisions based on intuition.
He did that again for this game naming an attacking line-up that contained Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze and Saka.
All of those players are comfortable in possession and alongside the marauding Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal dominated possession and played like a team who know they are close to making history.
With one league game left and the positive feeling at an all-time high, Arsenal are surely set to end their wait for a major trophy - in what could be a historic season.
Havertz should have been sent off - Jackson
It was always going to tough for Burnley, given the disappointing season they have had, to get a result away to the league leaders.
The Clarets, rooted in 19th place since November, have suffered their third Premier League relegation in five seasons and are without a permanent manager following the departure of Scott Parker.
They have won just one of their past 27 league games and managed just two away victories all season.
Winger Loum Tchaouna did provide a bright spark for Burnley, almost helping his side into an unlikely first-half lead when his cross was put wide by Hannibal Mejbri.
Jaidon Anthony also gave Burnley threat down the other wing with his pace but he could only produce a curling effort that went over the bar in the second half.
Burnley reached 100 points the last time they were in the Championship, to earn promotion to the Premier League, and can only hope that they can bounce back again after failing to establish themselves this time around.
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 25 | 7 | 5 | 69 | 26 | 43 | 82 |
| |
| 36 | 23 | 8 | 5 | 75 | 32 | 43 | 77 |
| |
| 37 | 19 | 11 | 7 | 66 | 50 | 16 | 68 |
| |
| 37 | 18 | 8 | 11 | 54 | 48 | 6 | 62 |
| |
| 37 | 17 | 8 | 12 | 62 | 52 | 10 | 59 |
| |
| 36 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 56 | 52 | 4 | 55 |
| |
| 37 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 52 | 43 | 9 | 53 |
| |
| 37 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 54 | 51 | 3 | 52 |
| |
| 37 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 40 | 47 | -7 | 51 |
| |
| 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 55 | 49 | 6 | 49 |
| |
| 37 | 14 | 7 | 16 | 53 | 53 | 0 | 49 |
| |
| 37 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 47 | 49 | -2 | 49 |
| |
| 37 | 14 | 7 | 16 | 45 | 51 | -6 | 49 |
| |
| 37 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 49 | 53 | -4 | 47 |
| |
| 37 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 40 | 49 | -9 | 45 |
| |
| 37 | 11 | 10 | 16 | 47 | 50 | -3 | 43 |
| |
| 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 46 | 55 | -9 | 38 |
| |
| 37 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 43 | 65 | -22 | 36 |
| |
| 37 | 4 | 9 | 24 | 37 | 74 | -37 | 21 |
| |
| 37 | 3 | 10 | 24 | 26 | 67 | -41 | 19 |
|
Manager: Mikel Arteta
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
Manager: Michael Jackson
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
High chance of scoring
Medium chance of scoring
Low chance of scoring
Dominant period
Match momentum measures the swing of the match by comparing each team’s threat to see who is more likely to score within that minute. The momentum value is the difference between each team’s most dangerous moment, or team threat, in that minute.
Match momentum measures the swing of the match by comparing each team’s threat to see who is more likely to score within that minute. The momentum value is the difference between each team’s most dangerous moment, or team threat, in that minute.
| Minute | Team with most threat |
|---|---|
Kick off 1' | Burnley |
2' | Burnley |
3' | Burnley |
4' | Burnley |
5' | Burnley |
6' | Arsenal |
7' | Arsenal |
8' | Arsenal |
9' | Arsenal |
10' | Arsenal |
11' | Arsenal |
12' | Arsenal |
13' | Arsenal |
14' | Arsenal |
15' | Arsenal |
16' | Arsenal |
17' | Arsenal |
18' | Arsenal |
19' | Arsenal |
20' | Arsenal |
21' | Arsenal |
22' | Arsenal |
23' | Arsenal |
24' | Arsenal |
25' | Arsenal |
26' | Arsenal |
27' | Burnley |
28' | Arsenal |
29' | Arsenal |
30' | Arsenal |
31' | Arsenal |
32' | Arsenal |
33' | Arsenal |
34' | Arsenal |
35' | Arsenal |
36' | Arsenal |
37' | ArsenalGoal |
38' | Arsenal |
39' | Arsenal |
40' | Burnley |
41' | Burnley |
42' | Burnley |
43' | Arsenal |
44' | Arsenal |
45' | Arsenal |
45'+1 | Arsenal |
45'+2 | Arsenal |
Half time 45'+3 | Arsenal |
46' | Arsenal |
47' | Burnley |
48' | Burnley |
49' | Burnley |
50' | Arsenal |
51' | Arsenal |
52' | Burnley |
53' | Arsenal |
54' | Arsenal |
55' | Arsenal |
56' | Arsenal |
57' | Burnley |
58' | Arsenal |
59' | Arsenal |
60' | Arsenal |
61' | Arsenal |
62' | Arsenal |
63' | Arsenal |
64' | Burnley |
65' | Burnley |
66' | Burnley |
67' | Burnley |
68' | Burnley |
69' | Arsenal |
70' | Arsenal |
71' | Arsenal |
72' | Arsenal |
73' | Burnley |
74' | Arsenal |
75' | Burnley |
76' | Burnley |
77' | Arsenal |
78' | Arsenal |
79' | Arsenal |
80' | Arsenal |
81' | Arsenal |
82' | Arsenal |
83' | Arsenal |
84' | Arsenal |
85' | Arsenal |
86' | Arsenal |
87' | Arsenal |
88' | Arsenal |
89' | Arsenal |
90' | Arsenal |
90'+1 | Burnley |
90'+2 | Burnley |
90'+3 | Burnley |
90'+4 | Burnley |
90'+5 | Arsenal |
90'+6 | Arsenal |
90'+7 | Arsenal |
90'+8 | Arsenal |
90'+9 | Arsenal |
Full time 90'+10 | Arsenal |
Premier League
All competitions
All competitions
Arsenal have lost just one of their 19 Premier League games against Burnley (W14 D4), going down 1-0 at home in December 2020.
Burnley have never scored more than once in 19 Premier League meetings with Arsenal (9 goals in total), the most one side has faced any other without netting twice in a match in the competition.
Arsenal have won all 10 of their Premier League games against sides already relegated that season, the best 100% record in the competition.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 44 Premier League home games against promoted sides (W39 D5) since a 1-0 loss to Newcastle in November 2010. They’ve won their last 15 by an aggregate score of 43-9.
Arsenal have only lost their final home league game in one of the last 28 seasons (W23 D4) and are unbeaten in 14 since a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in 2010-11 (W12 D2).
Burnley have won their final away game in just two of their nine Premier League campaigns, beating Aston Villa in 2014-15 and Norwich City in 2019-20.
Arsenal have won 16 games with a clean sheet in the Premier League this season, only doing so more in 2023-24 (17). Seven of those wins have been 1-0, with the Gunners last winning more by that scoreline in 1998-99 (9).
Burnley have won just one of their last 27 Premier League games (D8 L18), picking up just one more point (11) in this run as they did in their first nine this season (10 – W3 D1 L5).
Arsenal have had 17 Premier League goals this season either scored or assisted by a substitute, the most in the division. Leandro Trossard’s winner at West Ham last time out was set up by sub Martin Ødegaard.
Nine of Viktor Gyökeres’ 14 Premier League goals this season have come in home games. Only three Arsenal players have netted 10+ at home in their first season with the club – Thierry Henry in 1999-00 (11), Olivier Giroud in 2012-13 (10) and Alexandre Lacazette in 2017-18 (11).