It may not have been the most convincing of scorelines but Arsenal still got the job done and progressed to the next round following their FA Cup fourth round win over Burnley.
Defender Calum Chambers was the unlikely scorer of the opening goal before Sam Vokes levelled matters but Alexis Sanchez, who was making his first start since November, secured victory for the Gunners in the second half.
The game also saw an encouraging debut from Mohamed Elneny and it will be interesting to see how he progresses over the coming weeks. We got the result and that's what matters, although there was some bad news to come from the game. Reports are indicating that Tomas Rosicky, who came off the bench to make his first appearance of the season, now faces up to six weeks out with a damaged thigh muscle, although he is awaiting confirmation from scans.
Arsenal were fully expected to dispatch of their Championship opponents but could've been behind inside the opening two minutes had Andre Gray not sent his shot off target.
The hosts also wasted chances with Alex OXlade-Chamberlain and Sanchez both sending shots off target, while Elneny saw his effort from distance saved by Tom Heaton in the Burnley goal.
Burnley continued to pose a threat and nearly took a surprise lead after nine minutes. Gray got the better of Laurent Koscielny and raced forward but David Ospina was out quickly to narrow the angle and block the shot.
The deadlock was eventually broken through Chambers' first goal of the season after 19 minutes and coincidently his last goal for the Gunners was also against Burnley. I'll hold my hands up and admit when I saw the line-ups before the game I did text a fellow Gooner saying how I was worried about him playing as his last few displays haven't been all that convincing. I was glad to be proved wrong as it was a great goal from the youngster that put us in front. The defender latched onto Sanchez's pass before hitting a wonderful shot with the outside of his right foot into the far corner of the net.
Burnley continued to battle well and levelled the scores on the half hour mark when Vokes headed home Tendayi Darikwa's cross. On hearing the scores were level, I did briefly worry if we could end up on the end of a cup shock despite being favourites. But it was Arsenal who continued to have the better of the chances with Heaton denying Oxlade-Chamberlain before Sanchez saw his shot deflect wide.
The visitors put pressure on Arsenal early in the second half and only a crucial intervention from the foot of Alex Iwobi prevented Burnley scoring from close range.
Ospina was on hand to deny Scott Arfield as Burnley continued to prove they wouldn't go down without a fight. But, fortunately for the Gunners, that man Sanchez was on hand to score the winner after 53 minutes and ensure Arsenal's passage into round five. A good counter attack move involving Iwobi, Olivier Giroud and Sanchez set up Oxlade-Chamberlain. The England man then cut the ball back for Sanchez to fire home from close range.
Arsenal almost extended their lead soon after but Laurent Koscielny's header was cleared off the line by Ben Mee.
Arsene Wenger's men continued to create chances with Elneny and Oxlade-Chamberlain shooting off target, while Sanchez's curling free-kick was parried away by Heaton.
2-1 is always a dangerous scoreline and those missed chances almost came back to haunt Arsenal in the final minutes of the match, but Gray's effort clipped the side netting and went wide.
There was still time for further chances in injury time but both fell to Arsenal. Elneny's shot from outside the box went just wide before Theo Walcott wasted a glorious opportunity to add a third for the Gunners. Oxlade-Chamberlain's through pass put Walcott clear on goal but Heaton was out quickly to deny him with some great goalkeeping, although the Arsenal man really should've done better.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Burnley fan Karen Fazackerley still found reason to be positive despite the result and hopes the two sides will be facing each other again in the not too distant future.
"It shows how far Burnley have come to lose 2-1 against the FA Cup holders," said Fazackerley. "Wenger himself said he knew we were a good side and we more than proved it during the match.
"The likes of Sam Vokes, Andre Gray and Scott Arfield well matched their more expensively bought counterparts - and if we're being honest this COULD be a Premier League match next season (fingers crossed)."
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
FA Cup games against lower league opposition always have potential to be tricky so I was happy to see us get the result and move into the next round.
The FA Cup fifth round draw saw us given a home tie against Hull. I wasn't too bothered what opposition we faced, providing we avoided an away tie against Chelsea or Manchester City, and we have managed that.
Our focus must now quickly switch to the league as we look to get our league campaign back on track. We are third, with only goal difference separating us from second-placed Manchester City. There is also only three points between us and leaders Leicester.
If we are serious about winning the league title this year we cannot afford many more slip ups and nothing other than a win from the visit of Southampton will do.
Not only should we be motivated by needing to reignite our title challenge but the players really owe us won after the 4-0 horror show at Southampton on Boxing Day. They need to make sure they right those wrongs and I really hope that can drive us forward to an all-important win.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
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