Still one hand on the title, but only after Arsenal dragged themselves that bit closer.
If the story of the 2025-26 season is indeed to end with a first Premier League crown in 22 years, it will be with a script that has stayed as resolute as Mikel Arteta’s approach. This had all of the usual ingredients.
A set-piece goal. A 1-0. A VAR controversy. A lot of nerves. Arsenal again did it the hard way. They also, however, did enough. At least for now.
They got the victory over Burnley that puts them within one win of the title. It might yet be sooner than that if Manchester City fail to win at Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
Given the way this title race has emotionally ebbed and flowed, too, it’s hard not to wonder how this very win and – maybe more relevantly – the news of Pep Guardiola’s pending departure will affect his side.
Maybe Arsenal could do with that. Any team would idealise winning the title on the pitch themselves, but do they really want to go through this torture again?
In normal circumstances, a display like this – certainly that in the second half – would look rather wanting before a trip to Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace on the final day.
Except, these aren’t normal circumstances, and it might not even be a normal Palace given they have the Uefa Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano three days later.
Everyone has to just do what they must – including Arsenal. It has just so rarely been smooth for them.
There was a lngthy spell when it had the look, and occasionally the feel, of one of those painfully long days that Arsenal have been eventually expected to suffer.
Arteta’s side did actually start well, as they constantly looked to force the issue. A problem was how deep and robustly Burnley were defending. The Premier League’s 19th side may not have much quality, but they did have a lot of bodies in the box.
And, with every Arsenal attempt at a probing pass or penetrating run, there was always a defender there to deal with it. A cross was sent back out for a throw-in, a through ball for a corner.
And from these came that feeling of every frustrated move frittering time away.
Leandro Trossard smacked the post. Eberechi Eze rushed one of his long shots. Martin Odegaard had an opening just deflected wide, when it looked like the goal would finally come. It wasn’t far away…
Arsenal’s series of corners had initially resulted in increased frustration, as they consistently opted for the short pass. That had admittedly worked against Newcastle for a fine Eze opener, but Burnley weren’t allowing that space.
The tactic soon became clear, when crucial space opened up from another corner. Arsenal had evidently been developing a decoy. With opposition sides having figured out their first option of the in-swinging corner, they had to keep them second-guessing.
This was how.
Another issue on the night, however, was that it had been necessary to second-guess some of Havertz’s decisions. He wasn’t having one of his best games, putting in one of those displays where he makes some strange choices – to say nothing of the potential red-card challenge on Lesley Ugochukwu.
One was a bizarre pass across goal. Another was almost seeming to move the other way from one Bukayo Saka cross.
He didn’t do that for the next, though. On 37 minutes, as Saka finally swung one of those corners in, there was Havertz to rise and head in.
Arsenal weren’t exactly calm, though. If anything, the mood went in a different direction. They now had something to lose, rather than a game to win. And while they were still attacking, the second goal just wouldn’t come.
Eze again had an effort narrowly wide, Saka smashed into the side-netting and Havertz’s strange choices continued. As Arsenal became a little more desperate to keep the game secure, they lost a bit of control. Havertz certainly did.
He lunged in wildly on Ugochukwu and was lucky not to get sent off. That was also after a lengthy VAR review.
Arteta had no response but to take him off, while making another series of subs to try and make his team more robust. Martin Zubimendi was even brought on for added control, that was never quite reclaimed.
They finished desperately beating a Burnley cross away, as Arteta berated the fourth official for the extra time played. By then, the match had ticked into the 99th minute.
The final whistle didn’t bring the end of their 22-year wait. But it is now painfully, agonisingly, tantalisingly close. Can it really end any other way?
