Players and fans unite to give Wenger the perfect send-off ARSENE.....5 BURNLEY...0
Arsene Wenger was prepared by a day dominated by sadness as he arrived for his final contest at the emirates stadium and yet it seemed for the most part as if Arsenal had been handing out happy pills with the free T-shirts.
It was a very strange afternoon as recognition gave way to celebration and then full-blown euphoria as Burnley were swept aside in the sunshine and a blaze of goals.
Wenger sat and watched a vintage attacking display, which was enough to ensure his successor will not start his career in the europa League qualifiers in mid- July.
He sat and listened as his name bounced around the rafters of the stadium he inspired and helped to design and which will stand for years as part of his legacy at a club he transformed.
And he left with shoulders raw from the back-slappers and a wheelbarrow full of more items to make his mantelpiece groan. ‘sometimes to make people happy is to go somewhere else,’ smiled Wenger as he struggled to explain his emotions.
‘He’s probably enjoyed it,’ said Burnley manager sean Dyche. ‘And he’s probably a bit frustrated, thinking that would have been nice a bit more often.’
Pierre- emerick Aubameyang scored the first and the fifth. Alexandre Lacazette made it 2-0 in first- half stoppage time. sead Kolasinac slammed in the third and Alex Iwobi the fourth.
Danny Welbeck rattled the woodwork in the closing stages. Arsenal were slick and creative against a team who have been difficult to break down.
even without the goals, however, the home crowd seemed drunk on the occasion.
Midway through the first half, they stood to applaud Konstantinos Mavropanos, a 20-year-old centre half on his home debut, for flattening Burnley striker sam Vokes at the expense of a free-kick.
Having cheered the thrill of physical contact, those near to the press box turned to salute Martin Keown, on duty for BBC radio, with a chorus of: ‘There’s only one Keown.’ smiling, Keown raised a fist.
Terrace anthems were sung in honour of Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp as if the end of an era presented the perfect opportunity to wallow in a glorious past.
Vieira’s name rang out more than once, a message if needed for owner stan Kroenke, who sat in the directors’ box flanked by the executives in charge of identifying the next manager.
Arsenal were already one goal up when Ashley Barnes needed treatment having damaged his shoulder in the act of flattening Granit Xhaka from behind. With Xhaka rolling around too, Per Mertesacker went out to warm up, triggering another wave of home fans, climbing to their feet to hail the ‘Big f***ing German’ who is set to hang up his boots and take a role in charge of the club’s academy.
Then they demanded a wave from Wenger, who obliged, briefly raising a hand but he looked slightly bewildered by the atmosphere following years of protests.
Maybe his mind flicked back to the abuse at the train station in
Stoke-on-Trent. Or the placards. Or the “Wenger Out” plane. Or clips on Arsenal Fan TV. Or the empty seats.
For the first time in months, there was barely a spare seat in the house and no-one left early.
Long after the final whistle they lingered to say thank you and goodbye, all wearing free shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Merci Arsene”.
The Wenger Outs and the Arsene Knows united in appreciation and the teams formed a guard of honour before kick-off.
The man himself emerged to a cheer, hands raised, paced through the two lines of players and shook a few hands before performing a brisk U- turn, removed his jacket and settled down beside Steve Bould on the bench.
Burnley wilted in this bizarre theatre, the goals flew in and various favourites took leave.
Jack Wilshere, possibly appearing for the last time as an Arsenal player at the Emirates, was replaced to warm applause and a hug from his manager. Mertesacker appeared to a boisterous roar, took the armband and his every touch was cheered.
It felt like a step back in time to the Tony Adams moment against Everton in 1998 when Arsenal celebrated the Double at the end of Wenger’s first full season in charge.
Kitman Vic Akers and Alex Scott of Arsenal Ladies were cheered out at the end and Bob Wilson and Pat Rice, two heroes of the 1970-71 Double win who served on Wenger’s coaching staff, made the presentation to Wenger.
Rice handed over the golden replica of the Premier League trophy, originally awarded to the club for the unbeaten season in 2003-04.
‘The greatest manager Arsenal ever had,’ said Wilson to mass approval.
Like something beamed out of North Korea, the stands were still teeming with red- shirted acolytes.
Before he addressed his people, Wenger paused to wish Sir Alex Ferguson well. It was a classy touch, and one of the reasons he has always been such a good fit for the North London club.
Still, the crowd bristled with an undercurrent of anarchy. They booed chairman Sir Chips Keswick out on to the pitch and jeered as Kroenke appeared briefly on the big screens during the presentation ceremony.
Tired of the present and longing for a brighter future, everyone leapt at the chance to hail a glorious past.
They’ve seen it, done it and got the tee-shirt. Merci, Arsene. ARSENAL (4-3-3): Cech 6; Bellerin 7, Chambers 7 (Mertesacker 77min), Mavropanos 7, Kolasinac 6.5; Iwobi 7.5, Xhaka 6.5, Wilshere 6.5 (Ramsey 72, 6); Mkhitaryan 6.5, Lacazette 7.5 (Welbeck 72, 7), AUBAMEYANG 8. Subs not used: Ospina, Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Monreal. Scorers: Aubameyang 14, 75, Lacazette 45, Kolasinac 54, Iwobi 64. Booked: None. Manager: Arsene Wenger 7. BURNLEY (4-4-2): Pope 5; Lowton 4, Long 4, Tarkowski 4, Ward 4; Lennon 5 (Nkoudou 71), Westwood 5, Cork 5, Gudmundsson 4 (Wells 89); Hendrick 5, Barnes 5 (Vokes 22, 5). Booked: Tarkowski. Subs not used: Heaton, Taylor, Bardsley, Marney. Manager: Sean Dyche 5. Referee: Andre Marriner 6. Attendance: 59,540.