03 April 2024 , 21:01
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For once, even Mikel Arteta looked relaxed on the touchline.
It was so comfortable that Arsenal were able to make five changes, rest some big guns and still climb back to the Premier League summit. The Gunners may only be there for 24 hours until Liverpool entertain Sheffield United on Thursday night but this felt like job done for Arteta.
Arteta’s gamble on starting Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson paid rich rewards because it felt like a victory owed in no small part to two of the club’s academy graduates. They were both excellent as Smith Rowe buzzed in midfield, Nelson injected some pace and Martin Odegaard led by example with a captain’s performance and a goal.
It will only bolster Arsenal’s belief while also providing some rest to recharge batteries ahead of Arsenal’s daunting fixture schedule. The Gunners have to go to Brighton on Saturday tea time, face Bayern Munich in the Champions League next Tuesday followed by Aston Villa at the Emirates the following Sunday.
Therefore, it was little wonder that Arteta shuffled his pack as Declan Rice was only a substitute, Bukayo Saka had a complete rest while Gabriel Martinelli was also only a late substitute.But it paid off against a Luton side who are now 11 games without a win and are steadily sinking further towards relegation.
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Luton have got so much goodwill behind them and manager Rob Edwards has done a terrific job to inspire a team which never gives up even though they had so many injuries for the trip to the Emirates. Ultimately, Luton could not stop Arsenal who got the job done without much fuss with first half goals through Odegaard and Luton defender Daiki Hashioka putting through his own net.
The wholesale changes brought in Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey, Leandro Trossard, Smith Rowe and, most remarkable of all, Nelson who made his first Premier League start since July 2020. But if there is one player they cannot rest then it is Odegaard as he just ran his socks off all night and the fact he played the whole game underlined his importance to the team.
Mikel Arteta gives instructions to Martin Odegaard (Getty Images)Who was Arsenal's man-of-the-match vs Luton? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Arteta probably wished he did also give Kai Havertz the night off as he got booked for a dive which takes him to nine yellow cards and if he gets another caution in the next two match rounds he will get a two game ban. The shame of it was that the booking was for a dive which is bad enough but even harder to understand that he did it in midfield no man’s land.
Arsenal were sluggish and lacking in rhythm at the start and it was Smith Rowe who turned up the intensity as he flew into a challenge on Luton’s Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu to win the ball. Odegaard swapped passes with Havertz before the Norway midfielder then drove home a low shot past Luton keeper Thomas Kaminski.
Kaminski twice made good saves, first from Smith Rowe and then Havertz before Arsenal got a second a minute before half time. Odegaard found Smith Rowe and he made a darting run to the by-line before pulling back a low cross which was aimed for Nelson but deflected into the net by the hapless Hashioka for an own goal.
That gave Arsenal a two-goal cushion but it also turned the game into something of a precession lacking in intensity and action as the second half became a damp squib. Arsenal finished the night back on top and, having rested their big guns, the result might even be more pleasing for Arteta than Sunday’s draw at Manchester City.