Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang own goal sends Arsenal to new depths

Pressure on Mikel Arteta intensified on Sunday evening as his Arsenal side fell to a 1-0 home loss against Burnley.

Although Arsenal dominated possession, the Clarets were patient for their opportunities in a match that was only their second win of the season.

Burnley patience was vindicated in the 73rd minute when they a Josh Brownhill header from a free-kick was helped on by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang into his own net.

The goal came not long after Arsenal were reduced to 10 men. Granit Xhaka had been sent off after a VAR check witnessed him gripping Ashley Westwood by the neck when confronted by the Burnley players for a rash challenge on Dwight McNeil.

The Gunners' attacking play was much improved in the second half but their finishing still left a lot to be desired, although they were not helped by an impressive array of saves by Burnley's Nick Pope.

After making the shortlist when Arsenal opted for Unai Emery in 2018, Arteta got the chance to manage the club he formerly captained a year later. After three years assisting Pep Guardiola at Manchester City - a role he chose despite interest from other top clubs, many fans saw this as an indicator of his coaching ability. Maybe they jumped the gun in doing so.

Although it speaks volumes to be highly rated by some of the best and most established managers in the game, actions speak louder than words. It astounds that managers still get top roles based on their playing career in 2020. Arteta's traineeship of sorts at Man City appeared to make him an exception to that, but maybe in hindsight that was generous. The fact that Arsenal were in such a mess when he arrived has made his first managerial job even harder. Thierry Henry at Monaco and Gary Neville at Valencia both spring to mind...first-time managers starting out with a top club in crisis is the biggest baptism of fire imaginable.

The opportunity to start your managerial career so high up the ladder is hard to turn down, but with Henry now in the dugout for MLS's Montreal Impact and Neville enjoying the warmth of the Sky Sports studio, maybe it is good to be bold and turn down such an opportunity anyway?

Nick Pope (Burnley) - A very commanding performance today that saw him make a number of brilliant saves (six in total), especially early on in the second half. He looked more aggressive than usual too, not being afraid to leave his line and show sweeper-keeper traits. An injury time punch to clear Saka's free-kick delivery from the box was particularly eye-catching.

Arsenal: Leno 6, Bellerin 6, Tierney 7, Holding 6, Gabriel 6, Xhaka 5, Elneny 6, Lacazette 5, Saka 7, Willian 7, Aubameyang 5...Subs: Ceballos 6, Maitland-Niles 6, Nketiah N/A

Burnley: Pope 9, Lowton 7, Taylor 7, Mee 8, Tarkowski 8, Brownhill 6, Westwood 6, Brady 6, McNeil 6, Rodriguez 5, Wood 5...Subs: Barnes 6, Vydra 6

28' - WHAT A SAVE!! Xhaka brings the ball forward from deep and plays it out wide. It finds the feet of Lacazette who's open in the box but his low shot is parried away by Pope!

52' - ANOTHER SAVE!!! Flurry of chances for Arsenal and this time it's Saka who's denied by Pope! His first-time effort is stopped at the near post.

60' - WAIT IT'S A RED!!! Replays show Xhaka gripped Westwood by the neck while Xhaka squared up to him and McNeil. The referee is encouraged to check his monitor by the VAR officials and he sends Xhaka off!!

73' - GOOOOAAAALLL!!! Things go from bad to worse for Arsenal! A free-kick is taken by Westwood near the corner spot, Brownhills heads it on from the near post and Aubameyang helps it on into his own goal!