Gunners shoot five into Burnley net

Burnley, Feb 18

Arsenal’s extraordinary goal-scoring form continues unabated bringing them their fifth successive win in the Premier League. Their 5-0 victory against Burnley took their tally of goals to 21 in last five matches. It’s the first time Arsenal have scored 5 goals or more in consecutive away matches – following their 6-0 win last weekend at West Ham.

It has done them well for goal difference on the league table and places them just two points behind league leaders Liverpool. Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, said: “We have the momentum and need to keep it going. We tried to get our players to be unpredictable. We have to find ways to do that. Bukayo Saka has the ability and he trains in many different situations for when he is in and around the box. Today he had two very good finishes.”

He added: “We are showing a high efficiency in front of goal. The players want to go forward and be a threat and the players up front feel really connected at the moment. It’s about maintaining momentum now.”

Irrepressible and rampant from the start, the Gunners shot into lead in the 4th minute. Declan Rice began the attack with a run in Burnley’s half and swept the ball out to the left for Gabriel Martinelli who then found Martin Odegaard on the edge of the area for the Norwegian to put a low shot into the corner.

Four minutes before the break, the visitors were two goals up from a penalty when Lorenz Assignon skid into Leandro Trossard. Saka took the spot kick and scored for the fourth consecutive game.

Burnley struggled throughout the first half, unable to get a shot on target and they fared no better in the second half. Their form has been poor playing at home giving them just one win out of the three they have had.

Arsenal showed their superiority again within two minutes of the start of the second half. Odegaard’s excellent pass to Saka split the Burnley defence and Saka’s thumping, weaker right-foot shot went into the roof of the net.

Burnley replaced Aaron Ramsey who was stretchered off with a knee injury shortly before Arsenal’s fourth goal in the 66th minute. Hannes Delcroix attempted to block a shot by Kai Havertz following a run down the left wing by Jakub Kiwior but the ball broke loose to Trossard who promptly smashed it in first-time.

By then the match had long been gone for Burnley. But there was enough time for the Gunners to add a fifth. It came 12 minutes before end of normal playing time. Kiwior took a throw-in from which Havertz went past Delcroix before completing with a low shot.

Burnley manager, Vincent Kompany said: “Arsenal were better than us in every department. It’s a tough one to take on the chin. You do get games like this sometimes and where we are in the league, the gap shows. I have been in football long enough to realise these games leave you with a bad feeling.”