Arsenal 1, Burnley 0: Gunners on the Brink of Premier League Glory After Havertz's Crucial Goal!

JUST one more heave for Arsenal now, 90 minutes at Selhurst Park between the Gunners and the end of a 22-year wait.

And, of course, it was all down to “Set Piece FC”.

Kai Havertz heads Arsenal into the lead Credit: PA The German celebrates breaking the deadlock Credit: PA

Once , perhaps surprisingly preferred to up front, rose superbly to convert Bukayo Saka’s pinpoint corner – for the 24th goal in all competitions from dead ball deliveries – there was never any instant when Mikel Arteta’s side were going to let this one slip.

The only surprise given the domination and openings they carved out was that they only scored the one, eight minutes before half-time.

Yet carried along by a sense of destiny and purpose and by an Emirates that has cast aside the nervousness and embraced boisterous joy, and his men now have one hand on the Premier League title.

The other could take a firm and unyielding grip as soon as tonight, if upset Pep’s applecart.

But even though the hours between now and Sunday afternoon may take an age for every Gooner, as the prospect of what could become reality gets nearer, it seems hard to see a last day choke by this side.

Not if they can play with the same drive and desire – if they even NEED to win in south east London.

That Havertz was the match winner was fitting, too.

The German’s absence from the penalty box for much of the season has been a factor in Arteta’s men not being able to celebrate already.

When it mattered most, though, it was Havertz who came up with the goods – even if he was lucky not to be sent off late-on for a shocker on .

And so it is entirely in Arsenal’s hands – no team entering the final weekend top of the Prem have EVER surrendered the crown.

They could hardly have picked better opposition, a long since doomed Burnley seemingly the perfect team to play and for most of the night it was pretty much an extended passing session as well.

Burnley dropped in, everyone behind the ball except for Zian Flemming, who was happy to use as a crash-mat when the ball did come near him.

Yet for 37 minutes, with the Gunners orchestrated by skipper , back in the starting side, there was frustration, with near misses and moments but not that vital opener.

Twice in 60 seconds, it looked as if the goal would come, both times involving .

First the Belgian popped up on the right after a clever short corner routine, pulling back for Havertz, whose shot was deflected wide – the nick not spotted by Paul Tierney.

Then Trossard was on the other flank, exchanging passes with Eberechi Eze, dancing into space and letting fly from 23 yards, the ball pinging back off Max Weiss’ right-hand upright with the Burnley keeper nowhere near it.

The mood, though, remained buoyant rather than concerned. The fans thought they knew how this script would finish.

Even when Saka’s teasing cross, looping over Weiss, dropped virtually on the goalline with no red shirt on the end of it, it felt like a matter of time.

There was a first sign of nerves when Tierney ignored vehement penalty shouts as Saka, attempting to turn home Havertz’ low cross, went down under a challenge from Lucas Pires.

But after Odegaard’s shot, picked out by , was deflected behind off Lesley Ugoghukwu, the breakthrough came, from that most familiar of sources.

Saka’s inswinger was directed into the heart of the box and Havertz rose, majestically and untouched by anyone in light blue, nodding past the exposed Weiss from six yards.

“Set piece again”, the home fans chanted, revelling in the moment and had Saka’s curler from the edge of the box been a few inches to the right, that half-time beer would have tasted even sweeter.

There was a collective gasp of horror when Eze casually coughed up possession to at the start of the second half, his long-ranger dipping perilously close to David Raya’s bar.

Eze so nearly made amends at once, his bouncing volley from a Havertz cross beating Weiss’s groping finger and flicking the top of the woodwork on its way over the target.

The second seemed certain to come, Eze denied by a Maxime Esteve block when he was picked out by Havertz once again.

Odegaard was urging calmness, a message ignored when Havertz raked his studs down the back of Ugochukwu’s calf.

Arteta would have been demanding a red had it been the other way round and that might have made it a little more twitchy.

But VAR James Bell opted not to intervene and with numbers still level, Arsenal were far more likely to score a second than concede a killer equaliser.