Kolkata : Kai Havertz was Arsenal’s hero as he headed home what could prove to be a priceless goal in their Premier League championship chase to beat Burnley 1-0.
The German met Bukayo Saka’s 36th-minute corner to give fourth successive league victory.
The victory put Arsenal five points clear of Manchester City who must beat Bournemouth on Tuesday night. Even if they do, a victory at Crystal Palace on Sunday will see Arsenal’s name engraved on the Premier League trophy for the first time in 22 years.
The opening half went the way of a game in which a title-chasing side at home was facing another winless their previous 27 league encounters.
Arsenal went close on 14 minutes. Leandro Trossard began brightly and brilliantly plucked the ball out of the sky, played one-two with Ebere Eze, skipped past a defender and let fly from the edge of the box, but the Belgian was unlucky to see that endeavour end with the ball thumping the base of the post.
Some neat interplay between Arsenal’s front men caused the Clarets plenty of issues, and next to seriously test Max Weiss was Eze, who saw a neat flick and shot on the turn fly straight at the Burnley keeper, who moments later was scrambling when a miscued cross from Saka looked to be creeping in at the far post, but instead dropped just wide.
Having enjoyed some VAR fortune in last game, things didn’t go Arsenal’s way on 33 minutes when Havertz put a low centre across the area into Saka’s path who looked destined to tap into the net. However, he was brought down from behind by Lucas Pires, but despite replays indicating the defender didn’t get the ball, VAR dismissed Arsenal’s penalty claim.
But three minutes later, another opportunity to take the lead came, and Arsenal seized it. After Martin Odegaard saw a shot from a cutback into his path deflect wide off Lesley Ugochukwu, Saka swung the resulting corner into the box, and there was Havertz to leap highest and nod the ball into the net to see Emirates Stadium explode with relief.
The Clarets had never scored more than once in 19 previous Premier League games, so a second goal looked like being key. With 90 seconds of the first half remaining, Saka looked like he had got it with one of his trademark curlers, but saw it bend just wide of the post in the last key action of the half.
The first major moments of the second all involved Eze. Firstly, a loose pass led to Jaidon Anthony trying his luck from 25 yards but saw it whizz over David Raya’s goal, but the England man nearly made up for his error when a fine Cristhain Mosquera cross was met with a scuffed volley which spun into the turf and onto the top of the bar, before he saw a header deflect off the back of the unknowing Maxime Esteve.
Midway through the second half, Havertz was cited by the VAR for a potential red card for a lunge from behind on Ugochukwu which saw him booked but no further action. He was soon replaced by Viktor Gyokeres as Arsenal searched for a key second goal.
Burnley threw all of their physicality with Zian Flemming taking out Raya in the air before Pires left Saka in a heap with a high boot, but Arsenal ultimately emerged victorious and nearing their title since 2004 feat.
