And then there was one. Just one more obstacle for Arsenal. Just one more ordeal. Just one more river to cross. Crystal Palace await in south London on Sunday afternoon and if Arsenal win there, the Premier League title will be theirs.
It does not matter what Manchester City do against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday evening. It does not matter what they do against Aston Villa on Sunday at the Etihad. If Arsenal hold their nerve one last time at Selhurst Park, the title will be theirs.
They only scraped past relegated Burnley at the Emirates. They crawled over the line courtesy of a majestic first half header from Kai Havertz from a Bukayo Saka corner. Maybe some will call them Set Piece FC again but they will not care about that.
They could not add to the Havertz goal, though, and cloying tension gripped the Emirates for the entirety of the second half. This is the big prize at stake right here and they know that if they make just one slip, Pep Guardiola and City will be ready to pounce.
Leandro Trossard has been Arsenal’s best attacker in the past few weeks and he came close to blasting Arsenal ahead after 15 minutes. Trossard played a 1-2 with Eberechi Eze, danced across the face of the Burnley box and then lashed a shot against the base of the post.
Half an hour passed and the first signs of nerves began to betray themselves in the home crowd. Eze turned and hooked a volley towards goal but it was straight at Max Weiss and he saved it comfortably.
Kai Havertz scored a crucial winner for the Gunners as Arsenal triumphed 1-0 against Burnley
Mikel Arteta celebrated with coach Nicolas Jover as Arsenal scored from yet another set piece
Saka began to work his magic on the right. He turned Lucas Pires inside out and drifted a delicious cross into the box. It sailed delicately over the head of Weiss and almost kissed the crossbar before it dropped just wide of the far post and was cleared to safety. Arsenal fans roared their team on again, encouraged.
Ten minutes before the break, Arsenal appealed confidently for a penalty. Kai Havertz crossed from the right and Saka ghosted in at the back post and prepared to sidefoot the ball past Weiss. But Pires intervened at the last minute and appeared to impede Saka.
The referee waved play on and replays were not conclusive enough to show whether Saka had been tripped or whether he had kicked Pires as he tried to make contact with the ball. Referee Paul Tierney ordered that play should continue.
It was a brief reprieve for Burnley. A minute later, Arsenal were ahead. Saka curled a corner into the heart of the six-yard-box as only Saka can. It was hit with pace and precision. Havertz rose high above the crowd and glanced the ball over the line.
The stadium exploded with triumph and relief. Relief may have had the upper hand. The relief did not last long. Five minutes after half time, the tension was back. Arsenal gave the ball away in midfield and Jaidon Anthony cut inside his man and curled a shot just over the bar. It never looked like a goal but it was still too close for comfort.
Arsenal pressed for the second goal that would settle the crowd’s nerves. Mosquera crossed from the right Eze hammered his shot down into the ground. It bounced up and Weiss touched it on to the top of the crossbar.
Arsenal pressed forward again. Trossard floated a ball down the inside left channel to Havertz and his cross found Eze in the middle. Eze headed the ball goalwards but it bounced off a defender and fell meekly into the arms of Weiss.
Next, more screams and more howls of frustration. Mosquera lost the ball in midfield and Hannibal Mejbri burst forward in space. Arsenal did not close him down but his shot was high and wild.
Arsenal had a scare midway through the half when Havertz dived in on Lesley Ugochukwu. His studs scraped down the back of Ugochukwu’s calf. Burnley were adamant the challenge deserved a red card but Havertz escaped after a VAR check.
Now the tension built more. This has been the pattern of Arsenal’s recent performances as they have edged towards the title these past few weeks. This was not quite as nerve-wracking as their victory over West Ham but it was close.
Arsenal camped in Burnley’s half in the last 20 minutes but the stadium was full of people holding their heads in their hands and grimacing. No one said it was easy winning the Premier League but Arsenal are putting their fans through the wringer.
Declan Rice starred again as the Gunners went within one result of the Premier League title
Goalscorer Havertz escaped a red card despite catching Lesley Ugochukwu high on his ankle
When the fourth official put up the board saying that there were seven minutes of added time, there was dismay inside the Emirates. When Raya was flattened by a muscular challenge from a Burnley forward, there were more howls of anger.
When Saka was felled by a high kick as the clock ticked down and down, there was even more anger. There was one last burst of angst when Gabriel Martinelli sprinted through on goal and then let the ball run away from him. There was a lot of displaced anxiety in this corner of north London.
If City win at Bournemouth and it goes down to the last day at Selhurst Park, somehow Arsenal are going to have to drag themselves to the well one more time and hope there is still water left to drink.
