Arsenal v. Burnley 3-1 6/Mar/10

Arsenal players with support shirts.
[Photo: Tony O'Brien/Action Images via Guardian]


Within the narrow span of ninety minutes positions changed three times at the top of the table: first the Gunners went up following their suffered victory over Burnley but were later ousted by the Mancunians as they overcame Mick McCarthy's Wolves by the minimum difference. Indeed Ferguson's men sit uncomfortably at the top of the table with the title race still on pursue. Arsenal sored to first and then dropped into second, and finally returned to their original position after mathematics were done.
Cesc Fábregas, again the catalyser of the match, had to come off near the 40th minute due to an injury scare. After a magnificent definition all thoughts are on the fitness of the harmstring of the Spaniard for the crucial match on Tuesday against Porto. Aside from the football perspective the moving banners displayed at the Emirates reminded the support that this team has for Ramsey. It appears that Theo is countering the strong criticism in his week's display for England. Although the fact that he remains in that tempo is highly unlikely we shall see his determination for the World Cup rather than for the team.



After his goal, the captain went into the treatment room.
[Photo: AP via Daily Mail]


During the first fifteen minutes, the Gunners enjoyed wondrous precious amount of possession which developed into a handful of opportunities against Jensen's goal. The main artificer of this was Theo Walcott, whose havoc emphasised the deplorable state in which the Clarets were to be found. During a good part of the following minutes, the Londoners had the excessive number of 67% of possession.
Obviously Burnleys' stand would not last any longer when a precious lob from an on-fire Nasri saw Cesc face Jensen, and the former nutmegged the latter to give the Gunners the lead in the 34th minute. Nicklas Bendtner, the purveyor of the miss, began his uncanny tally of sitters of the evening, as Eboué set him twice, and that same number went wide.
The match ended amid the frowns of many supporters when Cesc Fábregas came out injured, replaced by Diaby. Whether the current state of the game demanded little of the brilliance from the Spaniard, the crucial shock against Porto in midweek remained doubt.



Theo Walcott responding to criticism.
[Photo: PA via Daily Mail]


As Bendtner scraped a beautiful cross from Theo, the match advanced in quite a negative fashion for the Gunners. Contrary to what they were producing so far. Exactly before the equaliser, the big Dane left out yet another one to show that his powder was completely and utterly wet. Incredibly enough, he had scored in the previous three matches, including the International friendly.
The Burnley goal was another reminder of the strong dissatisfaction that the Arsenal defence incurs week in week put. As Nuggent broke the offside a strange header from a friendly set him to beat Almunia and Sylvestre who were by miles slow. Suddenly what appeared to be one of those matches that could have easily ended with the shocking score of five or six, turned into a niggling pain in the ass.
Reaching the 60th minutes, the Londoners were all over their opposition and the incredible, laughable amount of misses that Bendtner led him to being substituted in the 74th; he took it rather philosophical with a sardonic smile as the crowd cheered him. Strangely, in opposition to the striker, Theo was still on fire as he taunted each time Foz in the right hand side. In one of those escapades the England international managed to beat two defenders and finished to Jensen's far post.
The crowd could breath, as one of those games of restless attempts was spared in a matter of minutes. Not much came from the visiting side and Andrey Arshavin, after a series of misses, produced the third, late in the 94th minute. His emotional celebration came handy; many of these misses could be argued as the jetlag of the international week.