Far from the tension suffered days ago, at the Etihad, against Manchester City in a key match, Arsenal advanced with a certain calmness on their return to the Emirates where they obtained a comfortable 2-0 victory against Luton that allows them to be provisional leader of the Premier League, waiting for the Liverpool game.
Arsenal closed a peaceful night provisionally established as the leader, with one point ahead, also one more game, over Liverpool, forced to win their match of the day against Sheffield on Thursday if they do not want to give up control of the table.
Mikel Arteta was even able to exert strength in his squad. A marathon awaits Arsenal, fully involved in the fight for a Premiership that he has not achieved since 20024.
Out of combat Bukayo Saka, injured in the battle against City on Sunday, the Spanish coach protected men like Gabriel Jesus, Jorginho and Declan Rice, on the starting bench. Instead, he gave prominence to Thomas Partey, Nelson, Smith Rowe and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The goals were a matter of time because Arsenal, with a clear proposal, cornered their rival from the beginning. Only the lack of success, of ideas in the final meters, delayed the arrival of the goals. The resistance of Luton, who entered the event with nine games without a win, installed in the penultimate place and three points from relegation, lasted less than half an hour.
Martin Odegaard led the way, leading the attacking action in the 24th minute, without opposition. He found Kai Havertz in the area and crossed it to him. The German returned the ball, and the Norwegian, precisely, beat Thomas Kaminski.
They were the best local moments that, with Odegaard unleashed, could put an end to the clash in a handful of minutes. After half an hour, the Norwegian had a one-on-one but Kaminski avoided the goal. The goalkeeper also supported the visitors in the 41st minute, when he denied Haverz the goal.
The Belgian goalkeeper could do nothing in the second Arsenal did when Emil Smith Rose received the ball and reached the baseline. He crossed back where Reiss Nelson entered but Daiki Hashioka put the ball into his own goal.
Arsenal gave themselves a break, relaxed the pressure after the break but Luton, needing points, lacked daring. He left spaces and threatened to create some danger. However, each frustrated offensive was picked up by Arsenal who did not lower their ambition despite the changes.
Arteta gave minutes to Eddie Nketiah and Declan Rice and gave a break to Havertz and Thomas Partey and Rob Edwards also began to think about the future, in commitments more at his level, against rivals with similar challenges.
Nketiah, in fact, could have scored the third in the final stretch, but Kaminski once again saved a resigned Luton with the defeat against an Arsenal that emerges as provisional leader of the Premier League.
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