Arsenal Vs Burnley Fc : “I will miss you” Arsene Wenger told the Arsenal fans after being given a fitting farewell in his final home game in charge after 22 years with a 5-0 thrashing of Burnley on Sunday.
On a day dominated by tributes to the Frenchman, both teams formed a guard of honour for Wenger, 68, before kick-off to a chorus of “there’s only one Arsene Wenger”.
All around a full house of 60,000 at the Emirates — in stark contrast to recent league games when fans have stayed away in protest at a poor season — fans sported red t-shirts emblazoned with “Merci Arsene” (Thank you Arsene).
“Thank you for having me for such a long time. I know that’s not easy but, above all, I am like you, I am an Arsenal fan,” Wenger said a post-match presentation on the Emirates turf.
“I would like to finish by one simple word: I will miss you. Thank you all for being such an important part of my life.”
Before the game in his final programme notes, Wenger said he expected to be saddened by the occasion.
“I expect today will be dominated by sadness,” he wrote. “It’s the end of a long story for me at Arsenal. But I will also feel grateful for having led this club – that I cherish so much – for such a long time.”
Wenger won three Premier Leagues and a record seven FA Cups. His crowning glory coming in the 2003/04 season when Arsenal won the league without losing a single game.
He was presented with the special gold trophy given to the club for that achievement after the match by two Arsenal legends Bob Wilson and Pat Rice, who worked on Wenger’s coaching staff for many years.
That “Invincibles” season was his last as a Premier League winner, though, and fans became tired of Arsenal’s inability to compete for Premier League and Champions League titles.
– Fitting finale –
However, there was plenty for the supporters to shout about in a fitting finale for Wenger as Arsenal displayed the attractive brand of attacking football that characterised his most successful sides over the past two decades.
Defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday means Arsenal missed out on Champions League qualification for the second consecutive season.
But they bounced back in style to secure the small consolation of ensuring they will finish sixth in the Premier League ahead of Burnley.
Wenger will wonder what might have been had Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang not been cup-tied for the latter stages of the Europa League as the Gabon striker took his tally to eight goals in 11 Premier League appearances since joining for a club record fee from Borussia Dortmund in January.
Aubameyang opened the scoring when he slid in to meet Alexandre Lacazette’s cross to get a party atmosphere started after just 14 minutes.
Burnley have qualified for Europe for the first time in 51 years thanks to finishing seventh.
But it seemed incredible that only three points separated the sides before kick-off as Arsenal cut through the clarets at will going forward.
Lacazette stroked home Arsenal’s second just before half-time before Jack Wilshere teed up Sead Kolasinac for a third nine minutes after the break.
Aubameyang turned provider for Alex Iwobi to smash home the fourth after being given a huge amount of time inside the Burnley box to pick his spot.
And Aubameyang finished as he started by steering home Hector Bellerin’s cross to round off a five-star performance by the Gunners to send-off Wenger in style.
Wenger could even afford the luxury of also handing club captain Per Mertesacker an outing from the bench for the closing stages in his final home game before retiring at the end of the season.
Arsenal put on a mixed-review dress-rehearsal for the upcoming Atletico Madrid match. Here are the player ratings for the match.
Arsenal got off to a rip-roaring start against Burnley in all theaters of play. Defensively, they were suffocating, preventing the ball from getting anywhere near their 18-yard box. Offensively, they were precise and exact, ensuring that each chance was a quality one.
The scoring opened in the 14th minute on a superb team goal. Alex Iowbi found Alexandre Lacazette on a give-and-go and Lacazette fired wide – right to the foot of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who tapped home.
It would remain this scoreline until stoppage time in the first half, when a similarly orchestrated goal down the right hand side began with a fantastic ball from Iwobi, which found Hector Bellerin, who crossed in for Lacazette to score his own.
It got better and better from there on out. Rather than recap them all, which you can find over on our analysis of the match, let’s get into the player ratings from a truly beautiful final home win for Arsene Wenger.
Goalkeeper
Arsenal gave Arsene Wenger a fitting farewell, playing a beautiful 5-0 win. Here are five things we learned among the emotional atmosphere.
You wouldn’t have believed it any other way. In Arsene Wenger‘s last ever home match in charge, Arsenal came out with a fiery passion, determined to not repeat the disappointment against Atletico Madrid.
And it was never in question. They made a very capable, very gritty Burnley club look absolutely worthless, chopping them to bits to the tune of 5-0. It secured sixth place, which is obviously not where we want to be, but we made the most of what we had, and at the very least, this final home match was a thrilling one to watch, as one-sided as they come.
In typical post-match fashion, we will now look back at what we learned in the process, which is quite fun to do given how unanimously positive this match was overall. So let’s get into it then, the five things we learned in Wenger’s home farewell:
5. Calum Chambers is ready
I’m leaving this at No. 5 because I want it to be front and center. What we saw in Calum Chambers today is just another step in his progression. About five or six steps ago, I was happy with the idea of him being the new No. 1 centerback (yes, No. 1) of this club. He has sat through the tough times and proved at Boro that he was the real deal.
This year, he proved that he was capable of taking that real deal to the Arsenal level and, with Konstantinos Mavropanos at his side, Chambers was flawless as he was the anchor of a near-flawless defense.
This was not a performance of promise or potential, it was a performance of experience. He showed no flaws, he defended to perfection and to overlook that and demand a bigger name just because you don’t like how little pizzazz comes with Chambers is to fall into the same trap that Liverpool fell into with van Dijk. Trust what is working. Chambers is working.
At No. 4…
Arsene Wenger will bring down the curtain on 22 years at Arsenal at the end of the season, and on Sunday will lead the side for the last time at home.
The visit of Burnley represents another chance for the Emirates Stadium to laud the manager who revolutionised both Arsenal and English football.
After the midweek loss at Atletico, the home faithful will be just as desperate as Wenger for the Gunners to get back to winning ways.
The Clarets meanwhile were ranked among the relegation favourites at the start of the campaign but are virtually assured of a seventh-placed finish and a first taste of European football in more than 50 years next season.
With two games to go they boast a six-point lead over Everton, who also need a 15-goal swing in their favour.
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Chambers, Mavropanos, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Wilshere, Mkhitaryan, Iwobi, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Burnley: Pope, Lowton, Long, Tarkowski, Ward, Lennon, Cork, Hendrick, Westwood, Gudmundsson, Barnes
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