Arsenal went five points clear of second-placed Liverpool in the Premier League table last night following a dramatic 4-3 win over Luton Town on the road.
The north London giants dominated the proceedings at Kenilworth Road, but they were guilty of conceding two goals from corners – one from a David Raya error.
The Spaniard also fluffed his lines from a Ross Barkley shot which gave Luton the lead, but his blushes were saved after Kai Havertz and Declan Rice sealed a comeback win.
With the victory, the Gunners have extended their lead to the top of the table. Here are three key things missed during Arsenal’s dramatic victory over Luton.
VAR deny blatant penalty
The Gunners have had a mixed run of fortunes with the Video Assistant Referee this season and they were on the wrong end of another poor decision at Kenilworth Road.
In the final phase of the game, Gabriel Magalhaes’s shirt was clearly pulled by Gabriel Osho which took him away from the trajectory of the ball from a Bukayo Saka corner.
However, nothing was given for the incident. Just seconds later, Osho made late contact with Saka, who had already released the ball in the box. VAR were happy with the decision.
In our view, the Gunners should have had a penalty. Manager Mikel Arteta did not make a fuss over it, but the reaction could have been different, had the club failed to win the game.
Mikel Arteta’s suspension
The manager started the game with two yellow cards for the Premier League campaign, meaning that he was just one booking away from a one-game suspension.
Arteta kept his composure despite several dubious decisions from the match referee, but he eventually got himself booked in the most unlikely of situations.
Rice’s 97th minute winner led to an emotional outburst from the coaching staff including Arteta and the Spaniard was booked for over celebrating in the end.
As a result, he won’t be in the dug-out for Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa. Albert Stuivenberg is expected to take control with Arteta giving instructions from the stands.
Individual errors leading to goals
The Gunners conceded three times for the first time in the league season, but they still have the joint-best defensive record alongside Liverpool and Newcastle United.
While this is a positive for the London club, Arteta should be concerned with the number of individual errors that have directly contributed to goals this campaign.
After a couple of blunders from Raya last night, the Gunners have now made five individual errors leading to goals which is the highest in Europe’s top-five leagues.
Three of those have come since the international break. There is no reason to panic, but Arsenal need to guard against such errors which could prove costly in a title race.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
