Alexis Sanchez snatched a late winner for Arsenal from the penalty spot
The Gunners top scorer kept his cool as he chipped a controversial penalty home down the middle of the goal in the eighth minute of added-time to send Arsenal into second place.
His calmness under pressure was the polar opposite of his boss though. Wenger showed his dark side once again with his furious reaction to Burnley equalising in the second minute added-time, with their own Andre Gray spot-kick.
With his team 1-0 up, the Frenchman was already fuming when fourth official Anthony Taylor indicated there would be seven extra minutes, with the Gunners down to 10 men after Granit Xhaka’s latest sending off.
But he blew his top when referee Jon Moss awarded the visitors a penalty for Francis Coquelin’s daft swipe which caught Ashley Ward in the leg, despite it being the correct decision.
His fury saw him sent off but as he was ushered him down the tunnel he pushed Taylor which will almost certainly land him a touchline ban from the FA.
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Shkodran Mustafi scored his first Arsenal goal
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Aside from Wenger’s theatrics, what was clear is that his men need to improve big-time if they want to land the title for the first time in 13 years.
Sean Dyche’s Clarets had lost their last five on the road in the Premier League but, like many others, arrived undaunted by Arsenal, whose intricate passing game is well known by just about everyone these days.
There was precious little to set the home fans’ pulses racing as Wenger’s team persisted in the kind of patient build-up that looks wonderful when it works, but laboured when it doesn’t.
And when their goal came in the 59th minute it was from a basic, run-of-the-mill set-play.
Mesut Ozil swung over a corner and centre back Shkodran Mustafi glanced in his first goal for the club.
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Andre Gray looked to have grabbed a point for Burnley near the end
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Xhaka was then shown a straight red for a foolish two-footed challenge on Steven Defour, after getting himself in trouble in the first place by passing the ball straight to his opponent.
It was Xhaka’s fifth red card since the start of last season, more than any other player in Europe’s big five leagues.
Sanchez had a great chance in each half but blasted wide and over after creating space for himself.
Burnley threatened too, with Ashley Barnes forcing Petr Cech into a decent save and Defour doing the same with a 25-yard free-kick.
Tom Heaton matched him, doing well to push away a smashed half-volley by Coquelin in the 89th minute.
After Gray blasted his spot-kick down the middle, Arsenal looked down and almost out of the title race.
Then, in desperation, Laurent Koscielny surged forward and was kicked in the head by Ben Mee as the Arsenal skipper stooped for a header.
The officials missed that the centre back had been clearly offside as the ball was played in but Sanchez did not care as he slotted in his 15th of the season. You would never have guessed he had missed his previous two spot kicks for the club.
It was harsh on battling Burnley, who were also beaten at home by a Koscielny goal after he handled just before scoring.
Thanks to Koscielny those extra points have given Arsenal’s title hopes a big lift.
But you sense they’ll still need plenty more good fortune to end their title drought this season.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Gabriel 6, Mustafi 6, Koscielny 7, Monreal 6; Ramsey 5, Mustafi 5; Iwobi 7 (Coquelin 69, 6), Ozil 7 (Bellerin 89), Sanchez 7; Giroud 5 (Welbeck 87). Next up: Southampton (a), Sat, FA Cup.
BURNLEY (4-4-2): Heaton 7; Lowton 6, Mee 6, Keane 7, Ward 6; Boyd 7, Marney 6 (Tarkowski 76), Hendrick 6 (Barton 73), Defour (Vokes 77); Barnes 7, Gray 7. Booked: Mustafi. Sent off: Xhaka 65. Goals: Mustafi 59, Sanchez 90pen. Next up: Bristol City (h), Sat, FA Cup.