Arsenal‘s dreadful home form continued on Sunday night as the Gunners fell to a 1-0 loss against Burnley in the Premier League.
A dull first half was followed by a dramatic second as Granit Xhaka’s straight red was made worse by a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang own goal to give Sean Dyche’s men the victory.
– Report: 10-man Arsenal lose to Burnley
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Positives
The manner in which Arsenal were able to build from the back was often a source of real danger, especially when they mapped their route into the final third and really drove at Burnley. The quick passing that they attempted to implement was a solid enough success, and if they weren’t so trigger-shy, they could have really tested the Clarets.
Negatives
The lack of any real intensity was painfully clear as the game went on, and there was no fight in their play when they had their backs against the wall. There was a gap between the defence and midfield that opened up all sorts of opportunities for the visitors and after constantly trying to play it down the flanks, they were exposed in a hurry.
Manager rating out of 10
5 — The lack of animation on the touchline from Arteta was a strong indication of his current mindset, and when Arsenal failed to breakthrough with what was a less than inspiring starting XI, he didn’t really have a plan B. He failed to produce any inspired substitutions and couldn’t inspire any creativity outside of a brief spell early in the second half.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Bernd Leno, 5 — Seemed to be at odds with his defensive partners on several occasions and was out of position for what would be the winning goal.
DF Hector Bellerin, 4 — The Spaniard’s lack of spatial awareness helped to build some confidence for Burnley, which was exemplified in the timing for yet another avoidable yellow card.
DF Rob Holding, 5 — Was regularly dragged out of position and had troubles with Burnley’s physicality, with his best moment being an instinctive header that drifted over the bar.
DF Gabriel, 6 — Brings a certain composure to his side from his body language to his growing leadership role. Not enough to help them avoid defeat, though.
DF Kieran Tierney, 6 — While his energy levels are far and away one of his best attributes, he couldn’t quite deliver the crosses needed to unlock a disciplined Burnley side at the back.
MF Mohamed Elneny, 5 — There was an over-reliance on Elneny’s energy from Arsenal as he was pushed to do 90 percent of the running in midfield, even though he put in a rather conservative shift.
MF Granit Xhaka, 3 — His negative style was one issue and yet, his temper was the big problem of the day after he was sent off for grabbing Kieren Westwood’s throat.
MF Willian, 5 — Was more productive as the game entered the second half, but he got caught chasing shadows off the ball one too many times.
FW Alexandre Lacazette, 5 — Had to sit far too deep in the name of winning back possession and squandered his best opportunity in the 12th minute.
MF Bukayo Saka, 5 — The youngster carries the ball nicely towards goal, but after being crowded out by two or three Burnley players at any one time, he had to resort to a hit-and-hope strategy that came closest to paying off in the 52nd minute.
FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 4 — Brought others into the game out wide and was constantly going in search of chances, though his scoring curse took on a new twist in the form of a decisive own goal.
Substitutes
MF Dani Ceballos, 6 — Often looked lost in the middle of the park and didn’t appear to be given much direction after being brought on after the red card.
DF Ainsley Maitland-Niles, N/R — Failed to make much of a difference upon being introduced aside from a poor challenge to gift Burnley a dangerous free-kick.
FW Eddie Nketiah, N/R — Didn’t possess the cutting edge that Arsenal needed to cause Burnley problems in their search for an equaliser.