Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabs his share of the Premier League's Golden Boot with a brace against Burnley at Turf Moor. It could and maybe should have been a second Arsenal hattrick for the striker but it's onto Baku now for one last dance at the disco for Unai Emery's Gunners.
With the likes of Granit Xhaka, Sokratis, Kolasinac and Lacazette all rested and settling for a place on the bench, and with Lucas Torreira and Mesut Ozil left out completely, the message from Emery was clear...no injuries, nothing silly and a win. His side delivered on all fronts except young Mavropanos who picked up an injury in the first half but it didn't look overly serious. A back four and a start for young midfielder Joe Willock was the order of the day for Emery as he rang the changes and deployed much of a reserve XI. It was yet another slow start though as it took the Gunners a while to get going. A hairy moment or two saw Burnley edge the first half but with nothing to show for their dominance they were made to pay.
Arsenal did finally get going in the second half but even that was assisted as a sloppy, misplaced pass from Jack Cork slid in Aubameyang towards his own goal. Time, space and electric pace had him bearing down on Tom Heaton in goal within seconds and with a delightful finish he placed it into the bottom corner. The Gabon striker went onto double Arsenal's lead just eleven minutes later with a sumptuously hit volley from close range. A tight angle from a looping cross, Aubameyang rocketed it past the keeper and into the side of the net. Burnley weren't to be buried just yet though as Ashley Barnes, who was a pain all afternoon long, struck back soon after.
Eddie Nketiah came on for the last stanza, replacing Joe Willock, and the attacking change eventually paid off. The young man got his first Premier League goal for his boyhood club as he drove into the Burnley box and dribbled past a desperate defender who deflected his effort beyond the out coming Heaton. An element of fortune maybe but thoroughly deserved no less.
Ratings
Unai Emery: 9
Very little more could have been done by Emery for this one who clearly opted to rest many of his big guns ahead of the Europa League final. It's a little over two weeks' away now and with nothing really left to play for in the league, he handed appearances to many of his fringe first teamers as well as one or two deserving youngsters. Shape was probably ideal based on the personnel he went with and although significantly weaker than normal, his defence weren't all that bad, considering. Going forward, the likes of Iwobi and Mkhitaryan know what needs doing whilst the Guendouzi-Elneny partnership got another outing in the engine room. His player did take a while to find their grove but ultimately with so many changes in the line up maybe that's expected. It was eventually job done and next season's Champions League is still on the horizon with the Europa League final to come.
Bernd Leno: 7
Stephan Lichtsteiner: 6
Dinos Mavropanos: 5
Shkodran Mustafi: 6.5
Nacho Monreal 6.5
Matteo Guendouzi: 7
Mohamed Elneny: 6.5
Alex Iwobi: 7
Joe Willock: 6.5
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 6.5
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 9
Subs
Laurent Koscielny: 6.5
Eddie Nketiah: 8
Seven points more this season and a place higher than last season which was Arsene Wenger's last. You'd say there is a clear improvement in productivity at least, but with Manchester United having been so bad, any improvement could be questioned. But with a Europa League final just around the corner, Emery has gone one step further in this year's competition and can potentially delivery on something Arsene Wenger never could; a European Cup for Arsenal Football Club.
@craigbennett10
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