Arteta Hails Arsenal‘s Dominant Frist Half as Rice Scores in 3-1 Win Over Burnley
Turf Moor,Lancashire – Mikel Arteta lauded Arsenal’s first-half performance against Burnley as “one of the best” he’s seen from his side,following a 3-1 victory that extended their lead in set-piece goals this season to 12,excluding penalties. Goals from Martin Ødegaard,Declan Rice,and Leandro Trossard secured the win for the Gunners,though a muscle strain forced the substitution of in-form striker Eddie Nketiah at halftime.
The match showcased Arsenal’s growing prowess from set-pieces, a key component of their attacking strategy. Arteta highlighted Nketiah’s overall contribution despite the injury concern, stating, “I think it was one of the best games that he’s played [for us]. his performance was remarkable, apart from the goal, and we had to take him off because he was feeling a little niggle, muscular.” Arteta further detailed Nketiah’s impact: “His high press, his positioning and his touches, his threading in behind, the way he linked play, the way he gets us from this situation to transition.He was in a really good moment. It’s a shame that he felt something.”
burnley manager Scott Parker acknowledged Arsenal’s quality, notably their threat from set-pieces, despite his team’s strong start. “We understood what we were up against, a top, top team with huge quality, and I thought we started the game really well,” Parker said. “The [first] goal took the wind out of us a little bit in terms of the set-play goal, and we had worked a lot this week on that. But I think it took the edge off us a little bit.”
Parker emphasized the difficulty in defending Arsenal’s set-piece delivery, praising Declan Rice’s accuracy and the physical presence of players like Gabriel.”If you don’t have those players, you probably don’t score as many as what Arsenal are scoring,” he added, noting Rice’s ability to consistently deliver pinpoint crosses to designated runners. Burnley remain five points clear of the relegation zone after their fifth league defeat of the season.
