LUTON (England) ― Declan Rice’s header deep in stoppage time sealed an enthralling 4-3 victory for Arsenal over Luton Town to send them five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Six minutes of stoppage time were almost up when Rice found space to glance a header into the net, sparking joy for the visitors and heartache for an intrepid Luton side.
There was little to hint at the thriller ahead in a low-key opening 20 minutes on a raw night at Kenilworth Road but the game exploded into life when Gabriel Martinelli’s scuffed shot from Bukayo Saka’s pass put Arsenal ahead.
Luton responded five minutes later with Gabriel Osho powering a header past David Raya from Alfie Doughty’s corner.
Saka and Martinelli were both denied by saves from Thomas Kaminski but Arsenal went ahead again just before the break with Gabriel Jesus heading in Ben White’s dinked cross.
Luton rocked Arsenal on their heels as first Elijah Adebayo headed in another corner in the 49th minute before Andros Townsend played in fellow former England international Ross Barkley eight minutes later to drill a low shot underneath Raya who endured a difficult night.
The old stadium was rocking to its foundations but Luton’s joy was cut short as Kai Havertz squared it up on the hour from Jesus’s pass. Rice then left the hosts in despair as Arsenal again showed their penchant for late goals.
They have now taken nine points this season courtesy of goals in the last five minutes of games.
“Luton are a top side and they can’t be overlooked in this league for the quality they have,” Rice told Amazon Prime.
“To score in the last minute and keep the momentum building it’s massive for us. Those are the moments you look back on. What a game. To score the winner is an honour.”
Arsenal have 36 points from 15 games played with Liverpool on 31 and champions Manchester City on 30, both having played one game fewer.
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