Arsenal surged to level points with Premier League leaders Manchester City after a hard-fought 3-1 triumph against Burnley. In a game where resilience met milestone moments, the Gunners faced a disciplined Burnley side initially.
Leandro Trossard's courageous header just before halftime marked Arsenal's 1,000th goal at the Emirates Stadium, breaking the deadlock. Burnley responded with an equalizer from Josh Brownhill's deflected shot early in the second half, but the visitors' joy was short-lived.
William Saliba restored Arsenal's lead within three minutes, capitalizing on Trossard's corner with a precise header from point-blank range. The victory was sealed with flair as Oleksandr Zinchenko unleashed an acrobatic finish into the top corner after Dara O'Shea's unfortunate clearance attempt.
Arsenal's dominance against promoted sides at home continued, stretching their unbeaten streak to 38 games. Mikel Arteta's squad now enjoys a positive second-place standing in the Premier League, level on points with City, setting a promising tone heading into the international break.
Arsenal goalscorer Oleksandr Zinchenko to BBC Sport: "Happy to get the three points. It was very important. We knew how good they are, organised well defensively. We know how Vincent Kompany tries to play his football. We knew they would sit so deep but we tried to generate as much as we can.
"So happy to score my first goal at Emirates. Amazing feeling. I really try to give my best every single game. The manager said to us before the game we need to be ready for every single ball. This is the right way. I think we have the right reaction to the mistakes we’ve done."
Arteta added: "Very happy with the performance. The way the team dominated the game. We fully deserved to win the game. Especially against organised teams, we're provoking, they were defending really deep. We generated a lot today and looked like a threat every time. Momentum was perfect. The team reacted straight away, the timing was perfect.
"We are the team who generate the most [set-piece goals]. If a team want to defend 20 metres, that has to be an asset. Zinchenko was brilliant today, attacking and defending. He showed great determination."
On Trossard scoring Arsenal's 1,000th goal at the Emirates, he replied: "A special one because he put his body on the line and now his name will be on the beautiful number. A beautiful moment. The refereeing was perfect. Don't just ask me when [things go against them]. VAR was top."
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