Burnley 1-1 Arsenal: 5 talking points as Granit Xhaka’s howler costs gunners

Arsenal suffered another frustrating afternoon as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Burnley.

The Gunners quickly took the lead via Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and looked into cruise control at Turf Moor in the first half.

But they were unable to capitalize on their dominance before a confusion between Bernd Leno and Granit Xhaka gave Burnley a comedic equalizer.

From that point on, Arteta’s squad were overtaken by Sean Dyche’s supported squad and couldn’t find a winner.

They were awarded a late penalty after Nicolas Pepe had a volley blocked by Erik Pieters at the line, but VAR rightly intervened after determining that the ball hit Pieters’ shoulder rather than his arm.

It summed up an afternoon in which Arsenal were still knocking on the door but unable to find a way through.

Here are five talking points from a game Arsenal could – and perhaps should – have won, which still leaves them languishing in the middle of the table but able to take some bright spots.

1) Aubameyang loves to play Burnley

Burnley is often seen as a game gamers dread – but not Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Arsenal skipper opened the scoring by cutting inside and shooting past Nick Pope at the near post after just five minutes at Turf Moor.

It was a perfect tonic after Aubameyang’s goal saw the Gunners lose 1-0 when the teams met in the Emirates earlier this season.

And that also extended his remarkable record against Sean Dyche’s side when it comes to scoring on the right end.

Aubameyang has now scored eight goals in just seven Premier League appearances against Burnley and will no doubt wish he could play them more often.

2) Xhaka doesn’t like playing Burnley

If Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang likes to face Burnley, Granit Xhaka certainly does not.

The Swiss midfielder has been sent off twice against the club for Arsenal.

And he endured more misery as he was responsible for a comedic Burnley equalizer.

Xhaka looked calm in midfield alongside Thomas Partey as Arsenal dominated the first half.

Still, he received Bernd Leno’s ball under pressure into his own box and shot the ball straight at Chris Wood and into Arsenal’s net.

It was a disastrous moment for Arsenal who set aside their good work and another nightmare moment for the Xhaka under fire against Burnley, albeit with some blame attributed to Leno as well.

As for her larger future, this was another moment that raises question marks about Xhaka’s long-term role in the Arteta project.

Since the start of 2016-17, Xhaka has made more scoring errors (8) than any other Premier League outfield player.

Can we count on him to move forward? Certainly not against Burnley, it seems …

3) Another assist for Willian

Willian’s assists are like London buses – you wait and what then happens two at a time!

The Brazilian dazzled with two assists in the season opener against Fulham and delivered another assist against Wolves in November.

But he then went three months without scoring or setting a goal as he faced intense criticism from some Arsenal fans.

Still, he came off the bench to help spark Arsenal’s return to Benfica in the Europa League, offering a single pass for Kieran Tierney’s equalizer.

He then set up David Luiz against Leicester last week to deliver his first Premier League assist of 2021.

And he got another assist in his name by releasing Aubameyang for his first game against Burnley.

It took him a while to get started, but Willian could finally find a role under Arteta as he aims to justify his three-year contract.

4) The return of the rooms

December 2019.

It was the last time Calum Chambers started a Premier League game for Arsenal before being sacked against Burnley.

Chambers has become a forgotten man in the Emirates and endured hell of injuries when he broke his ACL against Chelsea last season while on loan at Fulham.

But he hardly went wrong on Turf Moor when he was deployed to the right-back.

With question marks over Hector Bellerin’s future, Chambers’ ability to play both right-back and center-back could come in handy for Mikel Arteta to move forward.

His display against Burnley will have done him no harm and he will be looking to show he still has a future at the club.

5) 50 for Luiz and Saka

Bukayo Saka became the second youngest player to reach 50 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, reaching the milestone a little later than Cesc Fabregas.

The 19-year-old almost scored the opportunity with a goal after a neat link play with Aubameyang before shooting from close range in the first half.

There is no doubt that Saka has become a key figure for Arsenal.

But, whisper it softly, the same could be said for David Luiz.

Luiz also opened up about his 50th Premier League appearance for Arsenal against Burnley.

He was a controversial signing from Chelsea and has seen ups and downs under Arteta.

In recent months, however, he has been strong defensively and played a key role in bringing Arsenal back to form.

He might not be the most popular player, but Luiz is currently a key figure for Arsenal and will likely add many more appearances to his half-century, as will Saka.