Winning Luton Town’s assessment, Arsenal is still at the top of the Premier League
On the morning of December 6, in round 15 of the Premier League, Arsenal needed extra time to overcome rookie Luton Town with a score of 4-3.
With a tight schedule in December, coach Mikel Arteta has rotated the squad. Arsenal played without Zinchenko, who has played stably for many past rounds. Tomiyasu also did not appear. Instead, Kiwior and Ben White are the “gunners” full-backs.
On the morning of December 6, in round 15 of the Premier League, Arsenal needed extra time to overcome rookie Luton Town with a score of 4-3.
With a tight schedule in December, coach Mikel Arteta rotated the squad. Arsenal played without Zinchenko, who has played stably for many rounds. Tomiyasu also did not appear. Instead, Kiwior and Ben White are the “gunners” defenders.
Jesus shines for Arsenal
Arsenal took the initiative, holding the ball and attacking. They faced many difficulties against Luton Town’s dense defense, but scored on the first move.
Minute 20, Gabriel Jesus threw quickly. Saka escaped down the right wing and then stuffed it in so Martinelli could cushion the ball to open the score.
Arsenal and Liverpool lessons
However, with home advantage, it only took Luton Town 5 minutes to equalize. It was a complicated situation when midfielder Gabriel Osho comfortably headed a corner kick.
The battle returned to balance, forcing Arsenal to continue to raise their squad.
Martinelli and Saka both had shots that forced goalkeeper Kaminski to show his talent. But the person who helped them regain the lead was Gabriel Jesus.
In the 40th minute, Ben White ran down and crossed the ball into the penalty area. Jesus took advantage of the Luton Town defender’s loophole to head in at close range, helping Arsenal lead 2-1 at halftime.
Raya made a mistake
In the second half, Arsenal once again lost their advantage. Worth mentioning, Luton Town even led 3-2. The main reason came from two mistakes by goalkeeper David Raya.
In the 49th minute, he judged the score poorly from the home team’s corner kick. Raya’s missed ball allowed Adebayo to easily score the equalizer for Luton Town.
By the 57th minute, the home team had the lead. Ross Barkley passed the ball individually and then finished with his left foot. The ball didn’t go too dangerously, but Raya leaned over and let the ball slip through his hands and into the net.
These mistakes have put Arsenal in a difficult position. They quickly equalized thanks to Kai Havertz’s close-range finish in the 60th minute. But after that, the “gunners'” attack encountered many deadlocks when Luton Town retreated deep to defend.
Coach Mikel Arteta was forced to send Trossard and Zinchenko onto the field to play attack. The “Gunners” had a number of opportunities, but Odegaard and Havertz could not beat goalkeeper Kaminski.
Declan Rice shined in stoppage time to help Arsenal retain 3 points – Photo: REUTERS
The match gradually drifted into extra time and a draw was near. At this time, Declan Rice appeared as a hero to help Arsenal retain 3 points.
Minute 90+6, Odegaard accurately crossed into the penalty area. Rice ran cleverly to jump high and hit a diagonal header, leaving Kaminski completely helpless.
Winning a breathtaking 4-3 victory, Arsenal got 36 points and is sure to keep the top spot in the Premier League table after round 15.
