LONDON (AP) — Arsenal moved closer to their first Premier League title in 22 years on Monday with a tense win over Burnley in the penultimate game of the season thanks to a first-half goal from Kai Havertz.
The result means second-placed Manchester City must end Bournemouth’s 16-game unbeaten run on Tuesday to take the title race into the final weekend. However, Arsenal will be crowned champions if they defeat Crystal Palace away on Sunday.
It was Arsenal’s first league win since 2004, when the Invincibles went unbeaten under manager Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal will also face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on May 30, leaving current manager Mikel Arteta just two wins away from achieving the club’s best-ever season.
“It’s been a great season so far. We’ve got one big game left here (in the league) and we’ve got the Champions League final,” Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard told the Emirates crowd in an on-field interview. “We’re almost there. We’ll do our best. We have to keep moving forward.”
The goal against already relegated Burnley, fittingly, came from a corner that has been the source of many of Arsenal’s decisive goals this season, with Havertz supremely heading home Bukayo Saka’s shot in the 37th minute.
It was Havertz’s second league goal in an injury-plagued season, but Arteta gave him a start up front ahead of Victor Gökeres.
“He felt he had to start,” Arteta said. “I think he’s really hard to handle given the way they set up, and he’s proving that.”
Havertz was fortunate not to be sent off, only receiving a yellow card for a lunging stud tackle on Leslie Ugochukwu in the 67th minute, a decision that was upheld after a VAR review.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was unable to make a single save against a toothless Burnley side, but the lead was far from comfortable as the home side failed to score a second goal.
However, Arsenal persevered through about 10 minutes of stoppage time and took another step toward ending a decades-long title drought.
“Unless something great happens tomorrow night, there’s only one more to go,” Arteta said, adding he would be the “biggest ever” Bournemouth fan against Man City.
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