Cesc Fabregas gave the Gunners a 1-0 half-time lead, but was substituted with a hamstring injury which may rule him out of the Champions League match against Porto on Tuesday.
David Nugent levelled for the visitors after the break, only for Theo Walcott to restore Arsenal’s lead. Substitute Andrey Arshavin’s late strike sealed the points for a Gunners side who missed a number of other presentable chances.
very tight
“It was closer than you and I expected but we had the chances to score many more goals,” said Wenger.
“We didn’t take our chances and that’s why I believe it was very tight right until the end.
“It could have been four, five or six but as well Burnley had a chance to make it 2-2 after a corner. In the end you are happy when you miss the chances we missed but you get the three points.”
Nicklas Bendtner was the main culprit, and could have had a hat-trick after spurning several close-range openings.
Wenger admitted the Dane would have been disappointed at failing to find the net despite laughing as he took to the bench after being substituted in the second-half.
“I believe at the surface he looks like ‘okay, I missed the chances’, but underneath he is really disappointed,” the Frenchman added.
“Everybody has a different way to show his emotions, and he hides well, but he cares. Overall in his game, he was quite good. In his finishing, he missed chance after chance, but if you are a striker, it is like that.”
much better
Burnley manager Brian Laws believes his side can take heart from a match where they trailed by only one goal for the bulk of the second-half.
“We responded much better after half-time when we stepped up 10 yards and asked questions,” he said.
“After the goal, we looked comfortable, but Arsenal are going to create chances and our goal lived a charmed life at times.
“The fact we stayed in this game and frustrated Arsenal for long periods suggests we are going in the right direction and I believe we will get that result away from home sometime.”
“It was closer than I expected but we had the chances to score many more goals” – Arsene Wenger
Credits: PremierLeague.com
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