Sunday, 22 January 2017

Arsenal 2-1 Burnley: Alexis Sanchez nets 97th-minute winner to send Gunners second



Ten-man Arsenal moved up to second in the Premier League after Alexis Sanchez's 97th-minute penalty sunk Burnley at the Emirates.
After watching Tottenham, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs drop points on Saturday, Arsenal went into this game knowing anything but a win would be regarded as a calamity. Miss the chance to gain points on four rivals simultaneously and forgo your right to be considered a title contender.
Whether it was the weight of this pressure or merely complacency, Arsenal seemed affected in the opening stages. They dominated the ball but lacked the requisite calmness to turn opportunities into goals. They snatched at chances, shot from distance and got in each other's way.
The second half saw a rise in their tempo and they were rewarded when Shkodran Mustafi scored his first goal for the club. The home fans' confidence did not last long, though. Just six minutes after going a goal up, they were a man down.
Xhaka flew in on Steven Defour and was shown a straight red card — his third of the season for club and country. Burnley's confidence surged as Arsenal retreated deeper into their own half.
The Clarets looked to have snatched a point when Francis Coquelin handed them a penalty, coolly converted by Andre Gray, three minutes into added time. But more drama was to follow.
With just seconds remaining on the clock, an offisde Laurent Koscielny was taken down in the Burnley box and Sanchez slotted the subsequent penalty.

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