Arsenal still have one game in hand. They are one game away from lifting the first Premier League title in 22 years. In fact, they may have less than 24 hours to win everything.
The Gunners secured a last-gasp 1-0 win over Burnley on Monday night and, in turn, remain firmly in position to lift the trophy on Sunday evening.
Manchester City are still in the hunt but anything less than a win against Bournemouth away from home on Tuesday night will mean Mikel Arteta's men are champions.
It has been a long and difficult season, which was summed up well when they won against Michael Jackson's Clarets last night.
How Arsenal beat Burnley
We say this was not the Arsenal performance of old but in the context of how this campaign has played out, it was.
Sure, it wasn't the football we loved under Arsene Wenger, it rarely was under Arteta. However, it was attritional and they crossed the line courtesy of another piece.
In 19 different Premier League games this season, 50% of the club's games, Arsenal have scored a draw. Some may complain about their reliance on organized sports but it is a large part of their arsenal.
Truth be told, the Gunners didn't create a lot of open play, even if they saw plenty of the ball. However, the combination of Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz came up trumps.
Following a series of short corners early in the first half, they finally threw one into the danger zone and it worked well. Saka's delivery was inch-perfect as always and Havertz leapt like a salmon out of fresh water for home.
The German has endured a difficult season but this has been one of his greatest moments in Arsenal colors yet. Maybe it was a surprise he was starting.
Viktor Gyokeres had scored nine goals in his last 13 league games coming into this game and has been one of the club's most in-form players, scoring twice against Fulham in the last few weeks.
However, in these times, in these big games, Havertz is often trusted and he showed exactly why he was selected to start on Monday night.
When Leandro Trossard hit the post in the first half and Saka went close with a curling effort of his own, Burnley were untroubled.
Havertz was lucky not to see red for lunging and Burnley rallied in the second half. That said, despite the threat of an upset for a long time with the game still 1-0, the visitors never looked like they would cause David Raya any problems.
At the back, it was their 32nd clean sheet in all competitions, six more than any other team in Europe's top five leagues. Gabriel used to be the man to get praise but the man next to him deserves more praise than he is getting.
Arsenal's modern Vieira shines again
On the night, Declan Rice took home the Man of the Match award. The English coach has long been called the Patrick Vieira of modern Arsenal and he was at the heart of everything Arsenal did on Monday, bursting forward and breaking the game with ease.
However, when the midfielder is in the discussion to win the best player award in this category along with players like Gabriel and Raya, William Saliba also deserves to be part of the discussion.
It took the Frenchman a long time to find his footing at the Emirates after leaving for £27. He had three months apart on loan with Saint Etienne, Nice and Marseille before kicking a ball for Arsenal. However, after being handed his first game at the start of the 2022/23 season, he never looked back.
Now 25, he is one of the best defenders in the world, if not the best. Gabriel has always admired his goalscoring antics. It's hard to ignore that. However, next to him is a hero, a tractor, a human machine that cuts cloth like a certain Vieira.
Next to Gabriel, he is the quieter of the two. He is something of a quiet leader but everything he does he does with ease. Apart from the fact that they are both French, what makes Vieira and Saliba similar are five different characteristics; presence, authority, calmness, physical dominance and aura.
|
Saliba vs Burnley |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
To touch |
70 |
|
Accurate passes |
59/64 (92%) |
|
Defense contributions |
5 |
|
Recovery |
2 |
|
Duels won |
5/10 |
|
Erasure |
5 |
|
It carries |
11 |
Like Vieira, Saliba is the type of player to fear. You know that often when you face a player, you come second.
Although the first one might have been a little too brutal compared to the more elegant style of Saliba, they both have the same vibe; take it at your own risk.
That was very clear for Burnley too. During that conflict, he won five of nine aerial duels, completed 92% of his passes and was intercepted once. That last stat is something of a surprise to be told, as Vieira, he is traditionally an impossible figure to surpass.
However, if Arsenal go on to lift the title and potentially take home the Champions League in less than two weeks, Saliba deserves all the flowers in the world. He was great, the absolute rock and pillar of this Arsenal team. In another era, he might have captained this side to glory, as Vieira did more than 20 years ago.
At the moment, she is happy to play the role of a bridesmaid for Rice, Gabriel and Co.
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