ARSENE GETS A BIG HAND
EVERY KICK, EVERY GOAL, EVERY GAME Boss didn’t see fluke winner
ARSENE WENGER has been missing major incidents for two decades – so it was no shock he came up with another short-sighted showing at Turf Moor.
While Burnley boss Sean Dyche was left fuming by Arsenal’s controversial winner in the third minute of stoppage time, Wenger accepted a 20th anniversary present from referee Craig Pawson – one, of course, he failed to lay his eyes on.
“I didn’t see it go in,” the Frenchman claimed in trademark style after Laurent Koscielny’s dramatic intervention to break Burnley hearts.
The defender used his hand to guide home Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s flick from a yard out following an Alexis Sanchez short corner – making it five straight wins for the Gunners as they went third in the table.
Wenger had other things on his mind in the lead-up to the decisive goal and added: “I was fuming because we played the short corner at the end of the two minutes.
“I was asking, ‘Why didn’t we take the direct corner?’ I didn’t see it go in, but I’ve been told that we were fortunate to get the goal.
“It’s a big win because Manchester City lost. We were five points behind them and when you get a chance to get closer, you can’t miss it.”
Koscielny could hardly claim not to have seen the incident.
After literally grabbing his second goal of the campaign, the 31-year-old centre-back said: “You have to respect the referee’s decision.”
Defeat was hard on Burnley, and Dyche said: “It’s frustrating. They score six seconds over the two minutes of added time.
“It doesn’t sound a lot, but the referee could have blown it at the short corner.
“There are a number of things. It’s a handball goal, so you’re frustrated when you’ve not even got a kick left in the game afterwards.
“I’ve not been to see the referee, but I can only think he is honest enough and will have a tough night driving home.
Party
“I thought he had a good game apart from the last six seconds.”
For long spells, Wenger’s side looked as if they had misread the party memo – because they appeared to have been out celebrating the Frenchman’s anniversary weekend before the game rather than after it.
Far from leaving battling Burnley punch-drunk, the Gunners looked to be suffering from the mother of all hangovers. Burnley remain 14th on the back of another hard-working show as they continue to impress on their return to the top flight.
They went close to breaking the deadlock with 15 minutes left, with Petr Cech touching defender Michael Keane’s header against the bar.
But that was the closest they came as Arsenal posted a fourth consecutive clean sheet, a run spanning more than six hours.
Cech had also been forced to save well from a Johann Berg Gudmundsson header early in the second half as the Clarets aimed for a repeat of their victory over Liverpool here earlier in the season.
The first half was forgettable, but Arsenal pressed for a goal as the second progressed – with a Sanchez volley grazing the post before Koscielny’s winner.
Dyche added: “Defeat is hard to take but there were an awful lot of positives and I think we’re adapting to the Premier League a lot quicker than last time.”