… As Gunners Beat Relegation Threatened Luton
AfriqueCAN: ARSENAL returned to the top of the Premier League on Wednesday, at least, for a day after the Gunners beat Luton 2-0 on Wednesday www.afriquecan.com
Captain Martin Odegaard’s opener and an own goal by Daiki Hashioka in the first half were enough to secure a comfortable evening for the hosts.
The result took Arsenal provisionally one point ahead of Liverpool in the tight three-way race for the title.
Third-place Manchester City were playing Aston Villa in a later kickoff on Wednesday, while Liverpool can reclaim the lead when they host last-place Sheffield United on Thursday.
Facing a team in the relegation zone, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta took the opportunity to rotate his team and made five changes to the side that drew 0-0 at Man City on Sunday.
Bukayo Saka was left out of the squad completely after picking up a knock at the Etihad Stadium. The game was still all but decided before halftime.
Arsenal took the lead in the 24th when Emile Smith Rowe won possession in midfield and fed Odegaard, who exchanged passes with Kai Havertz before firing a low shot inside the near post.
Smith Rowe was heavily involved in the second as well as he drove along the left byline in the 44th before trying to pick out the charging Reiss Nelson, with Hashioka turning the ball into his own net as he tried to prevent his opponent from scoring.
Nelson was making his first Premier League start since July of the pandemic-interrupted 2020 season and was initially announced as the goalscorer — to a huge cheer from the crowd — before it was changed to an own goal.
Luton have proven time and again this season that they can never be counted out of games, with Arsenal needing a 97th-minute winner from Declan Rice to secure a 4-3 victory in the reverse fixture in December after the hosts had twice come back from a deficit.
There was no such drama this time, though, as Arsenal easily saw out the win in the second half, with goalkeeper David Raya hardly troubled.
Luton stayed in 18th place, three points from safety.
