Our 1-0 success over Burnley brought us another step closer to the Premier League title, with Kai Havertz coming up with the goods with the all-important goal to kick-start a huge couple of weeks in the perfect fashion.
But what were the key reasons why we emerged from our Clarets clash with three precious points to add to our seasonal total? Adrian Clarke has pored over the footage and stats to reveal all:
SUPERB SELECTION
In recent weeks, we have deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation with two holding midfielders and a No.10 in place behind the striker, but in our final home game, the manager opted for something much bolder.
Pairing Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard either side of Declan Rice was, on paper, a positive move, designed to add extra technical excellence and attacking punch to our starting XI.
In the first half, when we enjoyed 71.7% possession, it was a justified tactical decision, even if it felt harsh to leave in-form Myles Lewis-Skelly on the bench. As you can see on our in-possession first half positions map from Opta Vision (below), our shape saw Rice drop in and left back Riccardo Calafiori push on into a 3-1-6 formation:
First Half – average positions (in possession)
Dominating the match, popping off nine shots (which included a goal and a Leandro Trossard shot that hit the post), we played some sharp, one and two-touch football that caused Burnley a lot of problems.
Once a lead had been established, the manager always had the option to revert to a slightly more conservative approach for the latter stages. He chose to go down that route by sending Piero Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly and Martin Zubimendi on, tightening us up as a team with greater defensive security towards the end.
The move to switch Eze for Lewis-Skelly was a key indicator of Arteta’s intentions, reverting to a 4-2-3-1 that gave us a strong platform down the spine. Burnley did not register a single shot after the 57th minute, so the ploy was effective.
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SHUTTING BURNLEY OUT
This was our eighth 1-0 victory of the campaign, and satisfyingly, our third in the last four Premier League outings. In truth, the Clarets offered very little threat to us on a night when we restricted our opponents to no shots on target for the sixth time this season.
Interestingly, Burnley failed to test David Raya both home and away, while Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Fulham and West Ham United also couldn’t trouble our goalkeeper.
How did we achieve such solidity? We certainly defended with conviction from the front, an underrated quality within Arteta’s side. This defensive chalkboard highlights how often we forced mistakes to regain the ball inside the Burnley half:
Defensive Chalkboard v Burnley (tackles, interceptions, recoveries, clearances, blocks)
By defending well in advanced areas, we prevented the visitors from spending prolonged periods in our half. Tellingly, Mike Jackson’s men completed just 36 passes inside the final third and had only seven touches inside our box.
Individually, and as a collective, we also showed great determination in our duels – winning 53.9% on the ground, and 59.1% of them in the air. Rice won all seven of his ground duels, while William Saliba was successful in six of his nine aerial duels.
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Talking points from our big win against Burnley
SAKA’S QUALITY REWARDED
Six of Bukayo Saka’s inswinging left-foot corners have led to goals this term, but his pinpoint cross for Havertz’s winner was remarkably his first assist from a flag kick in 2025/26.
Spotting that Burnley’s zonal marking left our striker with a free run (Gabriel was the only player man-marked), all Saka had to do was put the ball into an area between blue shirts – signalled below:
As he so often does, Saka clipped a beautifully weighted ball into a crowded six-yard box, which the German attacked magnificently. Timing his leap to perfection, our No.29 guided a textbook header into the corner:
This set play was gorgeous in its simplicity, and it was also our record-breaking 18th Premier League goal from a corner this season. Havertz, who had replaced an on-song Viktor Gyokeres in the starting XI, fully justified his selection with this valuable strike.
LIVELY DOWN THE LEFT
Our left-wing combination of Riccardo Calafiori and Trossard functioned excellently, especially during a bright opening period. Buoyed by his winner at West Ham, Trossard was full of energy, and was unlucky not to score from this cracking run and drive from outside the box that cannoned off the post.
The Belgian also set up Havertz for a shot from a well-worked short corner, and linked well with Calafiori all game long. This clever outside of the foot pass for the Italian released the full-back, who beat his man before teeing up Odegaard for a shot which was deflected wide:
ROCK-SOLID RICE
The longer this match went on, the stronger Rice’s individual display became. Just as weariness and a touch of nerves began to set in around him, our brilliant midfielder stepped up his own game to help preserve our one-goal advantage.
This outstanding piece of defensive cover play inside his own box, early in the second half, was a particularly crucial intervention. With Loum Tchaouna controlling a pass inside the danger zone, Rice had lots of ground to make up, but in the blink of an eye, he sprinted back to win a superb 50-50 tackle:
Rice’s distribution from a defensive midfield base was top class all evening. Taking responsibility, he was always in the thick of the action, in and out of possession. These stats only tell half the story of a truly assertive performance:
| Declan Rice | v Burnley | AFC Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Possession won | 7 | 1st |
| Passes | 83 | 1st |
| Successful passes | 76 | 1st |
| Duels won | 7 | 2nd |
| Duel success | 100% | 1st |
| Tackles | 5 | 1st |
| Final third entries | 20 | 1st |
Is there a better all-round central midfielder in the Premier League? I don’t think so. This was another titanic, nerveless display from our record signing.
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