Burnley vs. Arsenal: Score, Grades, Reaction from Premier League

Aaron Ramsey celebrated his 150th Premier League appearance with the only goal of the game for Arsenal at relegation-threatened Burnley on Saturday.

The Wales midfielder slammed home in the 12th minute of an uninspiring encounter at Turf Moor to claim the Gunners' eighth successive league victory.

The win saw Arsenal close the gap on league leaders Chelsea to four points ahead of the Stamford Bridge club's trip to Queens Park Rangers on Sunday, with the two teams set to meet at the Emirates Stadium on Apr. 26.

But the defeat leaves Burnley two points from safety in the relegation zone, as they were left to rue a glaring George Boyd miss in the second half.

Both Burnley and Arsenal named unchanged teams for the Turf Moor clash, but it was a notable day for Ramsey and Santi Cazorla, as they made their 150th and 100th Premier League appearances, respectively.

There was an early chance for Alexis Sanchez when David Jones failed to control the ball inside his own area, but the Chile international fired over the crossbar.

In the 12th minute, the Gunners showed tremendous persistence in front of goal to take the lead. A fine Francis Coquelin pass found Alexis on the edge of the area, but his effort was blocked and fell to Mesut Ozil on the left side of the area.

The Germany international fired in from an angle but saw Tom Heaton parry his attempt. Alexis tried to find the net with the loose ball but was again denied before Ramsey pounced to rifle home into the roof of the net.

The home side found their feet in the game after that opener, and Kieran Trippier went close with a free-kick, which David Ospina saved well after Laurent Koscielny had fouled Ashley Barnes.

There were two quick yellow cards in succession for Burnley, as Michael Duff swiftly followed Ben Mee into Mike Dean's notebook for separate incidents, leaving manager Sean Dyche baffled on the sidelines.

But the first half failed to produce any further major talking points or action, as Arsenal's early sparkle seemed to fade out.

The Burnley supporters were not slow to display their discontent toward Dean and Arsenal as the players left the field at half-time.

The second half began where the first 45 minutes had ended, with precious little in the form of goalscoring opportunities, although referee Dean was given an ovation for awarding the Clarets a free-kick.

Ozil's clipped cross in the 64th minute gave Ramsey the chance to add a second goal, but Mee swiftly closed down the Wales international.

Burnley were stifling any creative threat in the Arsenal team while failing to threaten Ospina's goal in return.

But Boyd was guilty of squandering a gilt-edged chance for the home side in the 70th minute when he miskicked completely inside the area from a Mee cross.

Danny Ings had had an uneventful evening, but the Burnley striker forced an Ospina save with a bicycle kick inside the Arsenal area.

Arsene Wenger made his first change of the game in the 82nd minute, as Danny Welbeck replaced Olivier Giroud.

But the substitution made little difference to the style of the game, as the two sides cancelled each other out.

Selected Player Ratings

Aaron Ramsey: A

The Arsenal midfielder was in the right place at the right time for the opening goal on his 150th Premier League appearance. Always looking for a creative outlet for the Gunners but stifled like his team-mates by Burnley's approach.

Francis Coquelin: A+

The Arsenal youngster again proved why he has become so valuable to Wenger's team. Began the move for the opening goal and covered a tremendous amount of ground throughout.

Danny Ings: B

The Burnley striker has been linked with a summer move away from Turf Moor, but failed to find the service necessary to make his mark against the Gunners.

Post-Match Reaction