Key events
85 minutes: Smith Rowe leaves to a cheer. He is a real favorite among Arsenal fans and played well tonight in his first start since January. Jorginho enters.
82 minutes: I wonder if Arsenal He will sign a forward in the summer. Havertz has had so much success as a false nine in recent weeks that it would seem strange to upset the apple cart. Gabriel Jesús is a good backup. I wonder if Nketiah will move. There was a brief period last season when he made the position his own, but the youngster has fallen down the pecking order and will almost certainly be sold if Arsenal sign another striker.
80 minutes: Tomiyasu doubles one! Not words I thought he'd be writing tonight. Trossard and Nketiah combine well on the left flank and the ball returns to Tomiyasu on the edge, but the Japan international deflects it a meter or two. Kaminski was fighting!
78 minutes: If Luton go down, imagine there will be some takers for Alfie Doughty. Hardworking, organized and with a beautiful left foot. He can play anywhere on the left flank. I like him.
75 minutes: Two more Arsenal Changes: Martinelli and Kiwior enter for Nelson and Zinchenko.
Luton also make one change: Woodrow, a striker, replaces Onyedinma, who was a makeshift right-back tonight. So it looks like Luton are going for it.
74 minutes: Onyedinma is booked for stopping Nketiah in what could have been a dangerous play. Arsenal counterattack.
73 minutes: Manchester City leads Aston Villa. It's almost halftime on that one.
71 minutes: Luton look by far the most likely to score next. Onyedinma is the next to put a dangerous cross into the area, but Gabriel is there to block. Odegaard urges his team to maintain form.
69 minutes: Chong, who has made a real difference since coming on, introduces Doughty on the Luton left. But it is a poor cross! Floated not beaten and Zinchenko is able to clear at the far post. A very good move from Luton. The game is not won yet.
67 minutes: Arsenal Immediately make two substitutions: Partey for Rice, the cautioned Havertz for Nketiah. I'm surprised Arteta hired Rice instead of Jorginho.
65 minutes: Havertz is cautioned for diving. Replays show that the card is completely deserved.
62 minutes: “On the subject of Zinchenko, I agree with his performance tonight, but more generally I feel he is almost in the Alexander-Arnold category of being brilliant at stepping up but defensively suspect,” he emails Adam Klineschoder. “I know he plays in midfield for Ukraine and the only reason I can think of for Arteta not to do the same is because Zinchenko has a few meters of extra space when he starts further back.”
I'm not sure I can put it up to TAA's level, although I appreciate the fact that it will be better in the future. That said, he was careless with the ball tonight.
60 minutes: Another dangerous free kick for Luton, about 30 yards out. This seems to be his best route back into this game. Doughty is already past him, but it looks like he's going to cross, rather than shoot. Yes, it's a cross to the far post, but Saliba is there to deflect it. Maybe scrap that idea of taking out the French center.
57 minutes: I wonder how long Arteta will leave Odegaard on the field, with Vieira on the bench. There's also an argument to eliminate White (for Tomiyasu), Havertz (for Nketiah), maybe even Gabriel for Kiwior?
55 minutes: Arsenal have a decent shout for a free kick denied by Craig Pawson, and Chong appeared to catch Nelson just on the edge of the Luton area. The referee indicates that the game continues.
53 minutes: Offensive change for Luton: midfielder Mpanzu leaves and winger Chong enters. That will mean a tactical change for Luton. Remember, Mpanzu gave the ball away for Arsenal's first goal. Chong scored a good goal against Tottenham at the weekend.
50 minutes: Zinchenko, except for a good interception in the first half after a Clark cross, has been poor tonight. He seems very distant defensively and has lost possession unnecessarily on three separate occasions. I suspect Arteta will be silently fuming.
48 minutes: “Hashioka seems like a really good player, but I'm not sure he's in tune with the rest of the Hatters defense yet, no matter how hard he tries,” he emails Kári Tulinius. “If he gets on the same page as the rest of his team, Luton will have a real asset in his hands, although it could be the championship.”
I'm not sure I agree that he looked like a very good player in tonight's performance, and not just because of the own goal. I appreciate that he is normally a right back who plays as a central defender, but Trossard has already attacked him and he looked a little lost defensively. Still, he's a Japanese international, so no fool. Arsenal away is a difficult task for any defender.
46 minutes: Nelson makes a good break down the right, leaving two Luton defenders in his wake before Kabore leans on him and recovers the ball. That was the Arsenal The midfielder's first real foray with the ball at his feet. More of that, please.
Peeeeep! We're going back to north London.
Two goals at the Etihad! But for whom (voice of Geoff Shreeves), Taha?
Halftime reading:
He also remains goalless in City's match against Aston Villawhich started at 8:15 pm BST.
Break score: Brentford 0-0 Brighton.
Half-time: Arsenal 2-0 Luton Town
Smooth sailing for the Gunners.
45+6min: …a comfortable stop for Raya. Truly a poor effort from Barkley.
45+5 minutes: Partey attempts a nutmeg shot in midfield but loses the ball in his own half. Luton go forward and Saliba fouls Clark in a dangerous area, just outside the Arsenal box. Barkley on the ball, 25 yards…
45+3 minutes: A word to Smith Rowe, who set up the first goal with an important tackle and got the assist for the second goal with a clever run in behind, before a clever cutback. Excellent first part of English.
45 minutes: Four minutes are added here. This is going perfectly as planned. Arsenalthat he shouldn't need to bring in Rice, Martinelli, Kiwior, Jorginho or any other regular starters in the second half.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Luton (Hashioka and 44)
Is that game over? Smith Rowe runs towards the byline, passes the ball towards Nelson, but Luton defender Hashioka inadvertently kicks the ball into his own goal from close range.
42 minutes: From the corner, Partey almost puts the ball in! Trossard's shot deflects into Partey's path, but Doughty comes back to kick the ball away!
41 minutes: Ben White rolls his man into central midfield with all the grace of Prime Zizou, before releasing Havertz, who forces Kaminski into another save. Luton again do well to react quicker and clear the corner.
38 minutes: Partey, making his first start since August, has been tidy at the base of Arsenal's midfield, while Smith Rowe has also impressed. Nelson, however, has remained largely anonymous on the right.
