Gunners Bop Burnley; Miss Top Four by 1 Point

On the bright side, this was a good build-up to the Europa League final in Baku against fellow Londoners Chelsea.

That's part of an all-Premiership glitterfest later this month, what with comebackers Liverpool and Tottenham in the Champions League final.

Spurs' draw with Everton sealed their deal in the Top Four, so the Gunners merely settled for a display of good collective football in their 1-3 cruise over Burnley.

 

In a frantic first half, Arsenal had their chances with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, as Burnley's Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood could have scored also.

However, as we all know, close only counts in ...

 

 

... and ...

 

In other words, it was all square at halftime. 

Unai Emery must've had a helluva team talk amid the juice boxes and orange slices. His Gunners came out firing afterward.

Dudes found their target in the 53rd minute, following a slip from the Clarets' Charlie Taylor, which allowed Aubameyang to get into the box and finish:

 

The Gunners' second came 10 minutes la, as Alex Iwobi's cross from the left was met by Aubameyang, who brilliantly volleyed home past Tom Heaton:

 

Burnley gave the locals a tale to tell two minutes later, when substitute Jóhann Guðmundsson took possession, scamered down the left wing, and crossed it to Barnes, whose header beat Bernd Leno:

 

Arsenal wrapped it up in stoppage time, as Iwobi slid a cross to Edward Nketiah, who drove forward and found glory from a narrow-angle:

 

So there it was, a season one point short for Arsenal.

Fortunately, European competition has a back door.

Perhaps there'll be another all-Premiership final in the Europa next season, too. Of course, that would involve Manchester United getting its act together.

Might be a tough ask.