Mikel Arteta hailed a “special night” for Arsenal after Declan Rice’s headed aim seven minutes into stoppage time secured a sensational 4-3 win towards Luton at Kenilworth Street.
Rice climbed to nod residence Martin Odegaard’s cross and seal a victory that despatched his workforce 5 factors clear on the prime of the Premier League.
That final result had seemed unlikely when Ross Barkley squeezed a shot by means of goalkeeper David Raya to place the hosts 3-2 up early within the second half and ship residence followers into delirium.
However Arteta mentioned: “I really enjoyed it, especially the end. It’s the incredible thing about football, emotions and the moments that you live together. It was a special night.
“Credit score to Luton for the unbelievable ambiance that they created and the way in which they performed. They made life actually tough for us. However we discovered a solution to win. The resilience and the the character and the standard confirmed.
“Enjoying each three days, and we’ve got to win each recreation, the calls for are there. It is the way in which (the gamers) go about it, how a lot they need it.
“Today we conceded some goals we’ll be disappointed with. That’s part of it as well, it’s going to happen. It’s how we react to that.”
Arteta: We stored going and obtained rewarded
Arsenal had opened the scoring when Gabriel Martinelli tapped residence after being arrange by a low cross from Bukayo Saka, although Luton hit again shortly when Gabriel Osho headed in from a nook to make it 1-1.
Arteta’s aspect regained the lead earlier than the break, Gabriel Jesus nodding past Thomas Kaminski on the far put up after good link-up play between Saka and Ben White on the precise, however they had been once more pegged again shortly after half-time by Elijah Adebayo who out-jumped the goalkeeper to equalise.
Barkley’s aim, an effort straight at Raya that handed by means of his fingers and underneath his physique, put Rob Edwards’ aspect in sight of a well-known victory.
That lead was worn out inside minutes when Kai Havertz scored his third aim in 4 video games, beating Kaminski to the ball to attain from Jesus’s dinked move into the field.
Then late drama as Rice’s intervention with nearly the sport’s remaining contact broke Luton hearts and prolonged Arsenal’s profitable run to 4 league video games.
It was the fourth league recreation this season wherein Arsenal scored a profitable aim past the eighty fifth minute after equally late exhibits towards Brentford, Manchester Metropolis and Manchester United, with Rice scoring within the 96th minute towards the latter.
“We don’t want to draw, we want to win,” mentioned Arteta. “That drive, that energy, that risk and that emotion we put in the pitch, you can sense it.
“We should always have scored earlier than with the probabilities that we had. We did not, however we tried till the tip and we obtained rewarded.”
Rice: A massive moment for us
In the meantime, matchwinner Rice described his dramatic last-gasp aim as an enormous second in Arsenal’s season.
“Luton are a top side, they can no way be overlooked in this league because of the quality they’ve got. They made us pay tonight [Tuesday] with set pieces, us being sloppy at the back but for us to score last minute and keep that momentum building is massive for us in this season.
“You must take it day-after-day because it comes. I wasn’t right here final yr after they had been eight factors clear, we’ve got labored quite a bit as a gaggle with me coming in right here now and understanding the workforce. We’ve got to fret about us, not anybody else and simply preserve doing what the supervisor desires, ticking the sport off and getting the three factors.
“We were knocking on the door and when the ball got to Martin (Odegaard) and I shifted away from my man and went off his back shoulder and I attacked it. Anything can happen, it went in the bottom corner and in those moments, they’re the ones you look back on. I’m taking it all in because what a game and the winner.”
‘Arsenal’s perception retains constructing’
Evaluation from Sky Sports activities’ Oliver Yew:
“We were seconds away from talking about Arsenal’s Premier League title charge stuttering and hitting a bump in the road.
“Luton had gone toe-to-toe with the league leaders and had been moments away from grabbing a well-known level on what was changing into a irritating night time for Mikel Arteta’s males.
“However, Declan Rice’s late show meant that in the blink of an eye the whole mood and narrative changed as the winning goal, in the seventh minute of added time, sparked wild Arsenal celebrations.
“Rice described it as a ‘large second’. Arteta savoured a ‘particular night time’.
“Once again it wasn’t pretty from the Gunners. It wasn’t Arteta’s men at their free-flowing best of last season. However, importantly, just like against Manchester United, Manchester City and Brentford earlier in the season, and now Luton, they found a way to get over the line and win.
Not being at your best but finding a way to get the three points. That’s a special characteristic. Many would say a title-winning characteristic.
“Rice’s magic second and the dramatic victory solely add to the Gunners’ perception that this might really be the yr that Arsenal finish their 20-year lengthy wait to carry the tile again to north London.”
Edwards: We can take confidence from defeat
Luton boss Edwards mirrored on a recreation from which his workforce can take confidence regardless of a disappointing conclusion.
“I didn’t know what to say to the lads afterwards,” he mentioned. “I’m proud. We mustn’t let that one moment affect us too much, we’ve got to look at the bigger picture.
“They did precisely what we requested of them and gave the whole lot. We have simply come up quick tonight.
“We made it a really uncomfortable night for them, we tried to make it chaotic, be aggressive and brave. We can take some positivity from it, and we have to.”