1-0 to The Arsenal, part 7,049

BURNLEY 0 ARSENAL 1

By Ricky Butler at Turf Moor

THERE IS NO FEELING QUITE LIKE SCORING A LAST MINUTE WINNER AWAY FROM HOME. AND WHEN IT COMES IN A MATCH THAT YOU REALLY HAVE TO WIN IT MAKES IT ALL THE MORE SWEETER.

Laurent Koscielny has developed a habit of scoring important goals for us in recent years. He grabbed crucial winners on the final day in both 2012 and 2013 to secure Champions League football, as well as the equaliser in the 2014 FA Cup Final.

But while this late scrambled effort at Turf Moor was not as significant as any of those it could prove to be the catalysis that propels our mounting title challenge.

With City losing earlier in the day at Spurs, we had a great chance to close the gap to a very manageable two points.

I was not that surprised by City's demise at White Hart Lane. I have said all along that they look vulnerable and they would come unstuck against a decent side. They were fortunate to win at United in August and conceded three at Celtic in midweek, so this was very much on the cards.

But after suffering 92 minutes of shear frustration at the hands of Burnley's massed defence it appeared that we had once again flattered to deceive. The great work in beating Chelsea last Saturday and the stylish midweek demolition of Basel had raised expectations, and they were being brought back down to earth with the usual thump.

You could see the headlines already: 'Arsenal lack the bottle for a title fight'.

But they could not have been further from the truth. We will not face many more physical encounters all season, and after a really tough week this was perhaps the last thing we needed. However, despite being dead on our feet we somehow managed to raise ourselves in the final ten minutes for a late push that ultimately brought its dramatic reward.

There may have been a hint of offside about the goal (later proved to be incorrect) and a definite hint of handball (later proved correct) but it was hard to deny Arsene Wenger a win on his special day. The reception he received when he came out at the start, not just from the away end but the whole stadium, was very emotional. For all the stick he has been given I have always supported him and will be eternally grateful for all the wonderful memories he has given us.

It was somehow fitting that back in October 1996 we had played just up the road at Blackburn in Wenger's first match. Two Ian Wright goals that day secured a 2-0 victory and in many ways this was a return to the old days.

Burnley are almost the polar opposite of Arsenal in terms of style and philosophy. Sean Dyche has his side well organised, disciplined and has made them very hard to break down. Often they had ten men behind the ball and the fact they only touched the ball ten times in our penalty area in the entire 90 minutes shows what their intentions were. They reminded me a little of us in the latter years of George Graham.

But despite this, Burnley still offered a threat. Petr Cech was forced to tip a header around the post before they later hit the bar with another header, this time from the impressive Michael Keane.

At this point I think it worth giving a mention to Shkodran Mustafi. The German was apparently a panic buy but is already looking very much the real deal. Adding a physical edge to our back four, he also has pace to burn and is very strong in the air.

His partnership with Koscielny is fast developing into one of the best in the Premier League and I would go as far as to say that at the moment we appear to have the best defensive unit in the league. Since that opening day disaster against Liverpool, we have conceded just three goals in six games, with one of those a penalty and another an own goal.

But the focus was very much at the other end of the pitch as we peppered the Burnley goal in the second half, with Alexis Sanchez twice going close. First he produced a fine save from Tom Heaton down to his left before then scraping the outside of the post with a volley that had Heaton rooted to the spot.

After getting up a head of steam in the final ten minutes we appeared to have run out of ideas as the clock ticked down towards the 90 minute mark. When the 4^th official held up the board we were all expecting at least five to be added on due to the amount of time Heaton had wasted on goal kicks. In fact referee, Craig Pawson, had twice warned him about it.

But two it was and when second of those minutes was up, Santi Cazorla's speculative shot from 20 yards was deflected wide for one last corner. Indeed Pawson indicated that this would be the last action of the match. So it was now or never.

It was therefore somehow poetic justice that we not only scored in time added on to the time added on due to their time wasting, but that we scored a very un-Wenger like goal. A short corner, flicked on at the near post and turned home by our captain. Koscielny, it seems, is developing more in common with his predecessor, Tony Adams, than just his shirt number.

How many times did we see that under George Graham in the 1980s and 90s? Of course the irony was lost on many around me, all far too young to remember anything before Wenger. Yes, he really has been at the club so long that a whole generation of fans only know him as our manager!

The celebrations were far better than such a scrappy goal deserved but last minute winners are like that. And we have had a few to celebrate down the years.

I did feel a little sympathy for Burnley. They are nice club with a rich history and every single one of their players gave all they had. But sentiment goes out of the window when you have a title to win. Plus, any team who's only ambition is not to lose probably deserves all it gets.

But it isn't the 3-0 wins over Chelsea that win you the title. No. It is the scrappy 1-0's away from home when you are not at your best. That is the mark of a true champion. Of course we are only seven games into a 38 game marathon but the signs are good.

We have a different mentality this season, a toughness missing in recent years. The squad has the right balance and depth. Players such as Mesut Ozil, Sanchez, Theo Walcott, Koscielny, Nacho Monreal and Cazorla are all at their peak. Young players like Hector Bellerin and Alex Iwobi have emerged, and the new signings look to have settled in quickly.

Of course I will not carried away just yet. It is February when we usually fall apart. But something inside me tells it will be different this time.

I remember in the early part of the 1988-89 season when we hadn't won the title for 18 years. I had that same feeling then. That season ended with us winning the league in the final seconds of the final match.

It could be that close again. Three weeks ago we scrapped a win over Southampton with a very dodgy stoppage time penalty. Once is lucky, perhaps, but twice shows character and spirit. This is a team of winners. They just have another 31 games to prove it!