AUBAMEYANG’S DOUBLE PUTS OZIL IN THE SHADE
UNAI Emery brought Mesut Ozil in from the cold – but it was PierreEmerick Aubameyang who was smoking hot at the Emirates. Arsenal’s boss offered an olive branch to the ex-German international who has found himself on the outside looking in during recent weeks, even making him skipper for the day.
A failure to even command a berth in the 18-man squad named for the Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat to Spurs in midweek left a big question mark over the future of the ex-Real Madrid man.
Ozil was his usual enigmatic self, flitting in and out with the occasional moment of brilliance, interspersed with long periods of ineffectiveness. Still, his manager was happy enough.
He said: “It was a very good response from Mesut. He was the kind of player we needed today.
“His skills and commitment were good. He helped us. We need him. He was great for us.”
That was clearly overstating the case because it was Aubameyang who came up trumps on a day when passions almost spilled over.
The striker – who leapt to the top of the Premier League goalscoring
charts with a typically clinical double – only poured salt into the wounds of Burnley boss Sean Dyche, who was upset about what he felt were high levels of diving.
And Aubameyang himself admitted this was no gimme. Asked if he had ever played in a game as tough, the 12-goal striker said:
“Wow, never. It was a physical, tough battle. But we won and I think the whole team had a good game.”
Arsenal got off to a flier and it was Ozil who showed the way to goal.
Some intricate play on the right-hand side of the box ended with the playmaker curling a ball to the far post where Sead Kolasinac dragged it back to Aubameyang, who delivered the killer blow with the outside of his right foot.
After the break, Alexandre Lacazette found his strike partner Aubameyang at the far post who controlled and thumped high into the net. That appeared to be that. But Burnley stuck to their task and the ball ping-ponged around the area once too often, affording Ashley Barnes the chance to score the Clarets’ first goal on the road in seven weeks.
But Arsenal held firm. And it was from another breakaway, this time with Alex Iwobi supplying the finish in added time, that finally ended the visitors’ resistance.
Dyche had justifiable claims for a penalty for a shove in the area on Kevin Long waved aside.
He said: “We certainly didn’t get a lot today with the decisions.”