Alexis Sanchez kept his cool to convert a penalty in second-half stoppage time to hand Arsenal a 1-0 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor.
Arsenal won both their league games against Burnley last season thanks to injury-time winners and they did so again after James Tarkowski was penalised for a push on Aaron Ramsey.
Burnley rattled the post through Johann Gudmundsson while Jack Wilshere’s deflected effort ten minutes from time was the closest Arsenal came until Sanchez sealed the win with virtually the last kick of the game.
The result means that Arsenal have leapfrogged local rivals Tottenham into fourth place while Burnley remain seventh.
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Gudmundsson had the first meaningful chance of the afternoon, skipping beyond Nacho Monreal inside the area before lashing a shot onto the post with his weaker right foot. Replays showed that Petr Cech managed to get fingertips on the effort and it was an outstanding save.
Arsenal were unable to muster a single shot on target in the first half but Ramsey certainly should have tested Nick Pope in goal when he side-footed over the bar from inside the box after good work from Alexandre Lacazette down the left wing.
Robbie Brady capped his Burnley debut with a wonderful free-kick goal against Chelsea in February and from virtually the same position he drew another good save from Cech with the veteran ‘keeper sprawling to divert the ball away from the top corner.
Gudmundsson was lively throughout and he tested Cech with another effort from distance as he cut in from the right and shot powerfully, although the Arsenal keeper read his intentions and made the save look relatively comfortable.
Chances were at a premium in the second half but the introduction of Wilshere for the ineffective Alex Iwobi at least gave Arsenal fresh impetus in midfield and the substitute went close to breaking the deadlock late on as his shot cannoned off Tarkowski and spiralled just wide.
It looked as though the two teams would have to settle for a share of the spoils before Arsenal were awarded a penalty in the final minute of stoppage time after Ramsey was upended by Tarkowski and Sanchez fired his penalty beyond the reach of Pope into the corner to hand Arsenal the win.
