By Onyeanya Ebere Immaculata
Viktor Gyökeres ended his Premier League goal drought as Arsenal defeated Burnley 2–0 on Saturday to move seven points clear at the top of the table.
The Swedish striker opened the scoring with a close-range header before Declan Rice doubled the lead before half-time at Turf Moor, sealing Arsenal’s ninth straight win in all competitions.
Gyökeres’ goal his first league strike since September 13 and sixth in all competitions since joining from Sporting Lisbon in the summer came after a run of five Premier League games without scoring.
The result reinforced Arsenal’s dominance this season, as Mikel Arteta’s side have now gone seven matches without conceding in all competitions and have won eight of their opening 10 league fixtures. The victory extends the Gunners’ pursuit of their first league title since 2004 and their first silverware since lifting the FA Cup in 2020.
Despite pre-season doubts about Arteta’s ability to mount another title challenge, Arsenal have capitalized on Liverpool’s struggles to establish a strong early lead in the title race. They now face a demanding stretch of seven games in 22 days, with a Champions League trip to Slavia Prague next on Tuesday.
Arsenal’s set-piece expertise once again proved decisive. Rice’s corner in the 14th minute was headed down by Gabriel Magalhães for Gyökeres to finish clinically, marking the Gunners’ eighth goal from a corner this season the highest ever by any team in their first 10 Premier League matches.
Burnley struggled to cope with Arsenal’s aerial dominance and relentless pressure. Rice made it 2–0 in the 35th minute, heading home Leandro Trossard’s chipped cross. Despite Gyökeres being substituted at half-time due to fitness concerns, Arsenal maintained full control, limiting Burnley to no shots in the first hour and cruising to a comfortable win.
