MATCH VERDICT: Arsenal 2 Burnley 1

The Clarets looked to have snatched a hard-earned point against the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium when Andre Gray drilled home a 93rd minute penalty.

But in the last of seven added minutes Arsenal won a penalty of their own in ludicrous circumstances. Laurent Koscielny was offside when the cross came in, just as he had been in the final minute at Turf Moor back in October when he scored the winner, and Ben Mee’s challenge for the ball was a legitimate one, with the French defender dipping his head down to try and get a header on target.

Burnley were livid at seeing lightning strike twice against Arsenal, but Alexis Sanchez kept his cool to chip his penalty down the middle and win the game for the home side.

The Gunners had taken control of the game on the hour, finally breaking Burnley’s brave resistance as Shkodran Mustafi glanced in Mesut Ozil’s corner.

But Granit Xhaka was sent-off soon after for a scissor tackle on Steven Defour, and it looked like the Clarets had taken advantage to earn a second point of the season on the road, only to be on the wrong end of a refereeing decision against Arsenal once again.

Burnley can feel extremely hard done by at their failure to add to a disappointing away record so far this season, but the good news is that now the chance to improve on that away record really begins. Watford, Hull and Swansea are their next three away games, with a trip to Sunderland also to come by the middle of March.

If they can defend as well as they did at times in north London then they are well capable of winning some of those games, and their luck simply has to change after seeing another decision cost them here.

As Dyche took charge of his 200th Burnley game it seemed only right that he would name an unchanged team, for just the fourth time this season.

The Clarets chief named only two unchanged sides in his first 33 league games in the 2012/13 season as he searched for his winning formula. But since the start of the following, promotion-winning campaign, this was the 68th time in 152 league games he had stuck with the same XI.

Dyche has made changes this season, to selection and shape, but he is loyal to a side who are performing well, and this eleven did just that in beating Southampton last week.

While Arsenal dominated the ball in the first half they didn’t create many clear chances, and Ashley Barnes and Gray both tested Cech.

Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Alex Iwobi and Sanchez all tried their luck for the hosts, but the defence and Tom Heaton stood firm.

The second half began with Arsenal again on the front foot but it was Burnley who nearly shot themselves in the foot.

Jeff Hendrick gave the ball away high up the pitch, allowing the rapid Iwobi to lead the charge. He passed to Sanchez, who cut inside and fired over the bar.

It had been all Arsenal for the first 15 minutes of the half and the breakthrough came from a corner, earned from another counter after Lowton had been dispossessed.

Ward blocked Iwobi’s shot, but from the set-piece Ozil’s corner was glanced in by Mustafi, with nobody on the post to clear.

Burnley were given a route back into the game with 25 minutes remaining. Xhaka lost the ball to Defour and his attempt to win it back was a reckless scissor challenge that rightly earned him his marching orders.

Dyche made three changes in quick succession, one forced with Marney leaving the field on a stretcher, to try and get his side back in the game, and Barnes was a whisker away from forcing a Sam Vokes flick-on past Cech.

In the third of seven added minutes Burnley looked to have earned a point. Barnes won the penalty when he was tripped by Coquelin and Gray made no mistake, smacking his spot-kick down the middle, but there was still time for more heartbreaking drama.