Arsenal hardly broke a sweat in beat Luton Town at the Emirates

FA Premier League
ARSENAL 2 (Odegaard 24, Hashioka og 44)
LUTON TOWN 0

ARSENAL moved back to the top of the Premier league with eight games of the season left – after one of the simplest victories they’ll enjoy all season. So simple in fact, it was supremely boring.

There was hardly a shred of nervousness inside the Emirates tonight (Wednesday) and Luton Town were largely bystanders as the Gunners slowly clicked through the motions to pass their way to a win which means they will lead the league for 24 hours.

Almost certainly Liverpool will regain it when they play Sheffield United tomorrow but for a second season in a row Mikel Arteta’s team are in the mix and part of the title race conversation.

From here on in it’s about concentrating on getting their part but they were able to rotate personnel and proceed at a canter as they ensured there would be no calamity against the relegation threatened Hatters.

Embed from Getty Images

This wildcard opposition has caused problems for nearly everyone at different times this season, including Arsenal, who required a last minute goal from Declan Rice to win 4-3 at Kenilworth Road at the start of the winter.

So maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise that Arteta wanted this to be the furthest thing apart from that spectacle. This was the perfect non-spectacle.

There were players who might have liked a bit more urgency. Understudies Leandro Trossard, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe all enjoyed a roam but didn’t take the chance to place on the scoresheet. But there was very little to get urgent about.

Team changes or not, Kai Havertz  always seems to be in the team and the German set up the opener when he bounced clear, stretching the visitors’ defence halfway through half. With his own probability of scoring narrowing, he centred the ball to Martin Odegaard as he joined the rush forward. A familiar arrow shot from the captain into the corner broke the deadlock.

Other moves broke down because the passes were chess moves too clever for their own teammates.

But a second came from the crisp interchanges when Arsenal unlocked Smith Rowe at the by-line. His cross looked like it was turned in by Nelson but actually bobbled back back behind the line by the unlucky Luton defender Daiki Hishioka.

And that was more or less that. Dull was the name of the game in the second half, as Arsenal counted down the seconds without Luton laying a glove.

The away trip to Brighton at the weekend and some Champions League action against Bayern Munich will certainly need more puff.

ARSENAL: Raya, White, Zinchenko (Tomiyasu 74), Gabriel, Saliba, Partey (Rice 67), Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Nelson (Martinelli 74), Trosssard, Havertz (Nketiah 66)
SUBS NOT USED Gabriel Jesus, Kiwior, Ramsdale, Vieira

LUTON TOWN: Kaminski, Kabore, Doughty, Mengi, Hashioka, Clark, Barklet, Mpanzu (Chong 54), Townsend, Onyedinma (Woodrow 75), Morris
SUBS NOT USED Chigozie, Johnson, Krul, Nelson, Piesold, Shea