Arsenal’s troubles deepened as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley at Turf Moor, with Granit Xhaka’s catastrophic error and controversial VAR decisions leaving Mikel Arteta’s side ruing missed opportunities. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had given the visitors an early lead, but a bizarre own goal from Xhaka and two overturned penalty calls saw Arsenal drop valuable points.
The Gunners started brightly, with Aubameyang scoring after just six minutes following a slick passing move involving Thomas Partey and Willian. However, despite further chances, Bukayo Saka squandered two clear openings, and the inability to double the lead proved costly. In the 39th minute, Xhaka attempted a risky pass across his own penalty area, only for the ball to deflect off Chris Wood and trickle past Bernd Leno into the net.
The second half saw Arsenal struggle to regain control, and controversy erupted late on. Substitute Nicolas Pepe appeared to be blocked by Erik Pieters’ arm, but referee Andre Marriner and VAR Kevin Friend ruled against a penalty. Shortly after, Pieters handled the ball from a Pepe volley, leading to a penalty and red card, but VAR overturned both decisions, much to Arteta’s frustration.
“If that isn’t a penalty, then somebody explain what a penalty is,” Arteta said, while Burnley manager Sean Dyche joked about Pieters’ eventful cameo. The draw leaves Arsenal in mid-table, with questions lingering over Xhaka’s reliability despite Arteta’s support for his playing style.
