Chambers endures 'bittersweet' end to 14-month absence at Arsenal

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The Gunners defender returned to a Premier League stage against Burnley, but a frustrating afternoon at Turf Moor ended in a 1-1 draw

Calum Chambers brought a 14-month absence from Premier League action to a close during Arsenal’s trip to Burnley, but the occasion was left feeling “bittersweet” for the injury-ravaged defender as the Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw.

The versatile 26-year-old was included in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI at Turf Moor, presenting him with an opportunity to take in a first English top-flight outing since facing Chelsea on December 29, 2019.

A serious knee problem has kept Chambers out of contention for long periods, but his big return was ruined as Arsenal shot themselves in the foot and had to settle for a point.

Chambers told Arsenal’s official website: “It’s a bittersweet moment to be honest.

“It was great to be back out there with the boys, it’s been a long time for me in the Premier League.

“So personally it’s good to be back out there, but unfortunately it’s not the result that I wanted to get.

“I think we deserved more out of the game, we were pushing well towards the end and, on another day, one of those chances drops in for us. So we’re all very disappointed.”

The Gunners had enough opportunities to take all three points against the Clarets, but ended up fluffing their lines.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired them into an early lead, but a moment of madness from Granit Xhaka saw parity restored before the interval as his pass through a crowded penalty area cannoned off Chris Wood and into the back of Bernd Leno’s net.

The Gunners felt they should have had a penalty in the second half, only for VAR to deny them, and progress in a top-six bid has been stunted once more.

Arsenal remain 10th in the Premier League table for now, with a seven-point gap separating them from the European qualification spots.

“It’s going to be about how we react and move onto the next game,” Chambers added on the challenges Arteta’s men face from here.

“We played the way we wanted to play for a large majority of the game. When you come to a place like this, you don’t want to get sucked into the way they play, because they’re very good at it.

“So it’s important that you stamp your authority on the game and that we play our style. I think we did that for large chunks of the game but unfortunately we didn’t get the result.”

The Gunners will be back in action on Thursday when they take in the first leg of a Europa League last-16 encounter with Olympiacos, before returning to domestic duty on Sunday with a derby date against north London neighbours Tottenham.

2021-03-08 18:00:06

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