Viktor Gyökeres and Declan Rice were the heroes as Premier League leaders Arsenal secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday. The victory, Arsenal's ninth consecutive in all competitions, moved them seven points clear at the top of the table with 25 points from 10 games. Bournemouth, who play on Sunday, currently sit second on 18 points, while Burnley remains 17th with 10 points.
Gyökeres opened the scoring in the 14th minute, nodding in from close range following a well-worked corner routine involving Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhães, marking his sixth goal of the season. The lead was doubled in the 35th minute with a counter-attack that started from a defensive clearance. Gyökeres delivered a brilliant cross-field pass to release Leandro Trossard, whose clipped cross was met by the late-arriving Rice; powering a header past Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
The victory was, however, soured by an injury to Gyökeres, who was forced off at half-time with a muscular issue despite enjoying an excellent 45 minutes that included his goal and the assist for the second. With the striker replaced, Arsenal cruised through the second half, happily ceding possession but remaining defensively resolute. "The first half was exceptional, we scored two goals and gave nothing away," Arteta told the BBC, adding, "Defending was exceptional again, we didn’t give anything." The only real scare for the Gunners came with the last kick of the game, as substitute Marcus Edwards rattled the post with a free-kick
Burnley manager Scott Parker acknowledged Arsenal's quality, stating, "They’re a team that I believe have every single ingredient to go and win the league this year." He admitted Gyökeres' opener, Arsenal's 12th set-piece goal this season, "took the wind out of us a little bit." Turf Moor has been a difficult ground for visitors, with the hosts having lost only once in 18 months prior to this game. Arsenal midfielder Rice noted, "We knew it was going to be tough, so we had to stick to our principles. Our quality shone through."
Arsenal's control over set pieces, once again allowed them to hold their ground, and put the constant threat of an attack whenever the opportunity arised, leading to a first-half performance that manager Mikel Arteta hailed as "one of the best we've played." Burnley failed to register a goal attempt in the first half, though they offered a slightly greater threat after the break.
