3 standout Arsenal players from last-gasp victory against Luton

In the Premier League, there are no easy games. Playing relegation-threatened Luton may seem like a simple fixture but in a tiny, packed stadium, with the crowd completely against you and a very physical team making it as hard as possible, Arsenal's victory was very, very hard-fought.

The Gunners went ahead through Gabriel Martinelli after a quick throw-in caught Luton napping. The home team had soon equalised through a strong header from a corner.

Arsenal took the lead again just before half-time when Ben White lofted in a beautiful cross to an unmarked Gabriel Jesus, who had no choice but to head home.

The beginning of the second half was disastrous for Mikel Arteta's men, and one man in particular. David Raya had a terrible display, allowing Luton to score twice and therefore take the lead.

However, Luton's advantage did not last. Gabriel Jesus was involved again, gifting Kai Havertz a chance that he could not and did not miss, making it three goals in his last three starts for Arsenal. With 30 minutes left on the clock, a winner seemed inevitable but the time kept ebbing away.

Just when the game looked to be heading for a certain draw, Martin Odegaard swung a last ball in. Declan Rice rose higher than anyone else, got a glancing head to the ball and sent the Arsenal fans into delirium with a late, late winner, his second this season.

It was an extremely physical and cagey game. Kenilworth Road is not an easy place to go to, with Luton having just frustrated Liverpool. Some fans may think that the game was a bit of a worrying performance, but that is the wrong thing to take away from this game. The correct thing to take away is that Arsenal are going to win the league!

3 standout Arsenal players from last-gasp victory against Luton

There was a wide variety of performances on show for Arsenal, so let's go through the 3 standout players.

1. Kai Havertz

Kai Havertz was sensational. At times, it looked like the Arsenal players were getting bullied by Luton. That was never the case with Kai Havertz, who seems to relish the physical battles.

It was a performance with a little bit of everything from the German. He was tireless in and out of possession and carried the ball well. He competed for every aerial ball that he could, winning six out of a possible 11 duels.

His movement was on full show. Even if he wasn't found with the pass, Kai's movement would make space behind him for other Arsenal players to exploit, like with Jesus' goal.

All in all, it was a brilliant game to be a Kai Havertz fan.

2. Declan Rice

As if his defensive contributions weren't enough, Declan Rice bags goals.

After his late winner against Manchester United, I almost couldn't believe that it was Deccers who got the winner once again - a fantastic trait to have.

Of course, he was his usual self, popping up to snuff out Luton attacks and to help progress the ball. He was heavily involved, with 72 successful passes and 90 touches.

His relentless running is such an advantage in that midfield, especially next to Kai Havertz, who plays almost as a second striker at times. Give him a couple of years at the Emirates, and he will become a club legend. Win the league this year and I think Declan Rice automatically becomes a club legend thanks to those two winners on top of his general play.

3. Martin Odegaard

Overall, Martin Odegaard was bullied slightly at points during the game. Although I thought he played well, he could have been more involved, despite finding teammates in space as he always does.

At the 80th minute, I could already see the comments on Twitter after the game, running the usual Odegaard agenda. Then, he transformed.

As Arsenal pushed on for a late goal, absolutely everything went through Martin Odegaard. He suddenly appeared everywhere on the pitch, demanding the ball and systematically moving it upwards.

He was incredibly brave with the ball, dribbling past his opponent when he was the last line of defence. He was standing up and taking responsibility.

In the 97th minute, when Arsenal were having their final roll of the dice, Zinchenko delivered a ball that was headed out back to him. He passed it to Odegaard, who delivered a killer final cross that found the head of Declan Rice.

It was a special performance from the Norwegian, and, in my opinion, a captain's performance.

Worth mentioning that I also thought Ben White, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus had great games, but it was the midfield three that stood out to me the most.