We all thought that Burnley would be going all out for the points yesterday seeing as they were just three points below us before the start, and were fighting for a Europa League place, but they made Arsenal look like the superstars they should be and let the Gunners walk all over them.
Admittedly the Gunners were ‘doing it for Wenger’ and were right at the top of their game with an improved line-up, but after the game Sean Dyche revealed that Everton’s draw on Saturday meant that the Clarets had already qualified for the Europa. He said: “I think Arsenal raised their performance considerably today, but we came into the game on the back of yesterday’s news that we’d qualified for the Europa League. That meant all of a sudden we had nothing to play for and I think that showed. Players are human after all, and then if you add in what it stood for today, for Arsène and the whole occasion, we couldn’t find a performance.
“We lost Ashley Barnes early on, which didn’t help and we’re waiting on news from the hospital about an injury to his shoulder/collar bone, but that’s not to take anything away from Arsenal. They were good and really turned up, but we just lacked that edge we play with. You need that edge, particularly when you play the big sides, but we just didn’t have it today and I understand that.
“These big sides can hurt you on any given days and sometimes reality bites. Today it did. You have players out there who are £50m and £60m a throw and they are top class. We are still developing players and trying to turn them in to better players, but that takes time and you have to take a few knocks along the way.”
So the combination of the lovely weather, the most enthusiastic crowd that the Emirates has seen this season, and Burnley not wanting to spoil the day, all conspired in Wenger’s favour to give him a great send off.
Burnley may have had no incentive, but Arsenal definitely put in a masterclass as well!
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