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Arsenal go five clear as Rice seals seven-goal thriller at Luton – ARN News Centre
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Declan Rice’s header deep in stoppage time sealed an enthralling 4-3 victory for Arsenal at lowly Luton Town to send them five points clear at the top of the Premier League on Tuesday.
Arsenal had been knocked out of their stride by an energetic and direct Luton side and it looked as though they were about to extend their winless run at Kenilworth Road to 11 games.
But with six minutes of stoppage time played Rice found space to dispatch a header into the net.
His last-gasp goal sparked unbridled joy for the visitors who have now won four league games in a row, but it was heartache for an intrepid Luton side who had twice come from behind to lead early in the second half.
Arsenal have now taken nine extra points this season courtesy of goals scored in the last five minutes of games.
“Luton are a top side and they can’t be overlooked in this league for the quality they have,” Rice told Amazon Prime.
“To score in the last minute and keep the momentum building it’s massive for us. Those are the moments you look back on. What a game. To score the winner is an honour.”
Arsenal have 36 points from 15 games played with Liverpool on 31 and champions Manchester City on 30 before their games at Sheffield United and Aston Villa respectively on Wednesday.
After a weekend of high-scoring encounters the opening 20 minutes on a raw night at Kenilworth Road were uneventful with no hint of the thriller that was to unfold.
But the game exploded into life when some quick thinking from a throw-in ended with Gabriel Martinelli scuffing a shot inside the post from Bukayo Saka’s cut back.
Luton responded five minutes later with Gabriel Osho powering a header past David Raya from Alfie Doughty’s corner.
Saka and Martinelli were both denied by saves from Thomas Kaminski but Arsenal did go ahead again just before the break with Gabriel Jesus heading in Ben White’s dinked cross.
Arsenal had not won at Luton since 1986 and they were rocked on their heels early in the second half as first Elijah Adebayo headed in another Doughty corner in the 49th minute before Andros Townsend played in fellow former England international Ross Barkley eight minutes later to drill a shot through Raya.
Raya should have done better for Luton’s second and third goals but his blushes were spared by his team mates.
The old stadium was still reverberating from Barkley’s goal when Kai Havertz squared it up on the hour from Jesus’s pass.
Arsenal applied intense pressure but Luton appeared to have sealed a memorable point until Martin Odegaard’s cross picked out Rice who placed a perfect header past Kaminski.
“Incredible evening. First of all, congratulations to Luton, their players, staff, the atmosphere they created made it a special night to play football and they made it very hard for us,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.
“They are so good at set pieces and they made us really fight for the game and at the end it was a beautiful win.”
Luton remain fourth from bottom with nine points and while the defeat stung, manager Rob Edwards was rightly proud of his players who gave Arsenal a real scare.
“Arsenal wanted a game of order and we made it chaotic at times,” Edwards said. “I don’t think that has ever happened to me, conceding that late to lose a game so I’m flat right now.”
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Indian chess star Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu produced a brilliant final-round victory to win Norway Chess 2026, capping a dramatic finish to one of the year’s most prestigious tournaments.
Entering the final day half a point behind leader Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa knew only a win would give him a realistic chance of claiming the title. The 19-year-old delivered under pressure, defeating Vincent Keymer with the white pieces to secure the full three points and surge to first place.
The victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to 18 points, enough to overtake Wesley So and clinch the Norway Chess crown in Oslo.
So, who had led the standings heading into the final round, drew his classical game against Alireza Firouzja before winning the Armageddon tiebreak. However, the extra points were not enough to keep him ahead of the charging Indian grandmaster.
Firouzja completed a strong campaign to finish third overall.
Elsewhere, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen signed off in style with a classical victory over reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, delighting home fans with a final-round win.
Final Standings
- Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – 18 points
- Wesley So – 17 points
- Alireza Firouzja – 15.5 points
Assaubayeva dominates women’s event
In the Norway Chess Women’s tournament, Bibisara Assaubayeva completed a dominant campaign to secure the title after having already wrapped up first place with a round to spare.
The final day featured three decisive classical games, eliminating the need for Armageddon tiebreaks.
Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun handed Assaubayeva her first classical defeat of the tournament, while Zhu Jiner defeated Humpy Koneru to secure second place overall. Anna Muzychuk also ended her campaign on a high note with a victory over Divya Deshmukh to finish third.
Norway Chess women’s final standings
- Bibisara Assaubayeva – 16.5 points
- Zhu Jiner – 16 points
- Anna Muzychuk – 15 points
Praggnanandhaa’s triumph marks another major milestone in the young Indian grandmaster’s rapidly rising career and further strengthens India’s growing influence at the highest level of world chess.
The battle for the Norway Chess 2026 title is set for a thrilling finish after a dramatic Round 9 left three players firmly in contention heading into the final day in Oslo.
Tournament leader Wesley So maintained his narrow advantage after drawing his classical game against Magnus Carlsen before winning the Armageddon tiebreak to secure valuable extra points.
The standout result of the day came from Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who defeated reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces. The victory earned Praggnanandhaa three points and moved him to within half a point of the tournament lead.
Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja kept his championship hopes alive by overcoming Vincent Keymer in Armageddon after their classical game ended in a draw.
With one round remaining, Wesley So leads the standings on 15.5 points, followed by Praggnanandhaa on 15 points and Firouzja on 14.5 points, setting up a nail-biting conclusion to the tournament.
Assaubayeva seals women’s title
In the women’s competition, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a round to spare.
Assaubayeva drew her classical game against Anna Muzychuk, who later claimed the Armageddon win. However, the result was enough to guarantee Assaubayeva an unassailable lead at the top of the standings.
The only decisive classical result in the women’s event came from Zhu Jiner, who defeated Divya Deshmukh to move into second place.
Elsewhere, Humpy Koneru and Ju Wenjun drew their classical encounter before Ju Wenjun claimed the Armageddon victory.
After Round 9, Assaubayeva tops the women’s standings with 16.5 points, ahead of Zhu Jiner on 13 points and Anna Muzychuk on 12 points.
Praggnanandhaa wins Norway Chess 2026 title after stunning comeback
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