"Nice save!!!"
Letkinson shouted from the commentary box.
Cheers erupted across Wembley Stadium, a wave of noise rolling through the stands.
Fans from both sides roared in support, and for a moment, the entire stadium buzzed with energy.
On the sidelines, Arsène Wenger raised a hand in frustration, but quickly began applauding his team's attacking move.
When Wenger saw Ethan push Hassan Ali further up the pitch, he quickly understood what Luton were trying to do — apply a high press to disrupt Arsenal's build-up play.
Under Wenger's guidance, Arsenal were masters of possession-based football, using short, precise passes to move up the pitch and create chances. But Arsenal weren't one-dimensional; they could adapt when needed.
Luton's aggressive pressing in the final third made Arsenal's usual passing rhythm disjointed. Recognizing the danger, Wenger immediately adjusted. He instructed his players to play quicker and wider, bypassing the congested midfield with direct balls to the flanks.
Arshavin, with his explosive pace and technical ability, became the obvious outlet. Against him, Solo Davis simply couldn't cope — the difference in class was clear.
It was Arshavin who had carved out the last big chance, leaving Davis trailing helplessly.
If Luton didn't reinforce their left flank soon, Arsenal would exploit that weakness again — and if they overloaded defensively on that side, they'd leave gaps elsewhere.
Wenger, calm and composed, remained seated, exuding confidence. With Arsenal's quality, he knew that once they hit their stride, Luton's chances were slim.
On the touchline, Ethan frowned. Arsenal had broken Luton's pre-match pressing plan.
Hassan Ali was working tirelessly up front, but it was like chasing shadows — Arsenal's passing was too clean, too sharp.
There were hardly any mistakes for Hassan to capitalize on, leaving him running like a headless chicken.
Moreover, Arsenal had shifted their focus to the right flank, repeatedly launching diagonal balls toward Arshavin.
Ethan recalled seeing Wenger pull Fabregas aside earlier — it was clear now that Wenger had orchestrated this tactical shift.
Fabregas's long passing was pinpoint — essential for stretching Luton's defense. Without that accuracy, Arshavin would have been isolated and easily doubled up on by Solo Davis, Lewis, and Kanté.
Ethan's eyes narrowed as he watched Fabregas receive a quick throw-in.
This time, with Lewis already marking Arshavin tightly, Fabregas smartly switched the ball to Nasri on the left.
The Frenchman controlled it effortlessly and immediately squared up to Mitchell Piran.
Arsenal's wide players were intentionally staying wide, creating one-on-one situations against Luton's full-backs, exposing their weaker defenders.
Nasri shifted his body, opened space, and whipped in a dangerous low cross.
But it was slightly overhit — neither of Arsenal's forwards got a touch, and the ball rolled harmlessly out for a goal kick.
Still, Luton's fans held their breath — the threat was clear.
"Arsenal are cranking up the pressure. If this keeps up, it's only a matter of time before Luton concede," Letkinson analyzed from the commentary booth.
Ethan stole a glance at Wenger. Facing a master tactician like him was no easy task.
Maybe the recent string of victories had made Ethan overconfident, thinking that high pressing alone could unnerve Arsenal.
His plan had been to overload the press, force mistakes in Arsenal's buildup, and hit them on the counter.
And for the first ten minutes, it almost worked — Arsenal struggled to find rhythm.
But no mistakes came. Arsenal were simply too well-drilled, too composed.
Wenger's swift tactical tweak — skipping the midfield with direct long balls — rendered Luton's press ineffective.
No matter how many players Luton pushed forward, Arsenal bypassed them with one sharp pass.
Ethan quickly adjusted his mindset. The reality was harsh: the quality gap between Luton and Arsenal was vast.
It couldn't be ignored.
Before Luton's goal kick was taken, Ethan gestured from the sideline — a pre-arranged signal for a tactical shift.
Ethan was a cautious manager, always keeping multiple game plans in his back pocket.
Initially, sending Hassan Ali high up the pitch had caused Arsenal some discomfort, but without converting that into a goal, Wenger's adjustment completely neutralized it.
A simple long ball, and Luton's full-backs were left exposed.
Now, Ethan signaled his team to fall back, regroup, and sit deeper in midfield.
But Luton weren't about to completely abandon attacking when opportunities arose.
Drinkingwater, positioned near the center circle, received the ball and immediately looked forward.
Under pressure from Alex Song, he lofted a quick ball behind Arsenal's defense.
But Kolo Touré was alert — he won the aerial duel cleanly, heading it down to Song.
Drinkingwater reacted instantly, lunging into a tackle and knocking the ball out for a throw-in.
Luton's players began to fall back into a compact shape, obeying Ethan's command.
As Hassan Ali tracked back, Ethan pulled him aside briefly.
"Stick to Fabregas like glue!" Ethan barked in his ear. "Wherever he goes, you go! Smother him!"
"Even if he drifts out wide, stay tight!"
Hassan Ali nodded fiercely.
Hassan's greatest asset wasn't raw talent — it was his absolute loyalty to the coach's instructions. Any manager would love to have such a disciplined player.
From that moment, Hassan shadowed Fabregas relentlessly.
Wherever Fabregas moved, Hassan was at his side, cutting off passing lanes and harassing him constantly.
Fabregas quickly noticed the attention.
With Hassan breathing down his neck, Fabregas's time on the ball shrank dramatically.
Without their midfield maestro free to dictate play, Arsenal's threat from long diagonal balls also diminished.
The game had shifted once again — this time in Luton's favor.
In the twentieth minute of the game, Cesc Fàbregas attempted to spin away from Hassan Ali's tight marking, looking to break free and drive the attack forward.
However, Hassan Ali kept things simple — he simply reached out and tugged the young Spaniard to the ground, drawing a foul. Fàbregas, the talented Arsenal playmaker, found himself shackled by the relentless defending, growing increasingly frustrated as he struggled to impose his usual rhythm.
Noticing the signs of frustration, Arsène Wenger barked instructions from the technical area, urging his other players to drop deeper and support Fàbregas. Wenger knew that if Fàbregas got caught up in a personal duel with Hassan Ali, it would cripple Arsenal's attacking flow.
Even though Fàbregas was being tightly man-marked and saw little of the ball, it didn't mean Arsenal's offense was entirely stalled. Fàbregas was their midfield orchestrator, blessed with superb vision, but Wenger had ensured the team had other outlets.
With Fàbregas marked out of the game, Robin van Persie began to drop deeper from his striker position, seeking to link play from midfield.
Luton Town's defensive block remained compact in front of the penalty area. Even when Van Persie received the ball, there was little space to turn.
But Van Persie, known for his close control and strength under pressure, protected the ball expertly before laying it off wide.
Andrey Arshavin collected the ball on the left flank and immediately found himself double-teamed by Sol Davis and Kevin Lewis.
The Russian winger's dazzling dribbling forced Luton to commit more defenders to his side.
Meanwhile, Arsenal's full-backs seized the opportunity to push higher. Emmanuel Eboué, bursting forward with his trademark pace, overlapped down the right.
Arshavin spotted the run and lifted a clever ball into space. Eboué charged onto it near the edge of the penalty area and whipped a low, driven cross into the box!
The ball zipped across the six-yard line. Emmanuel Adebayor leaped in the center but narrowly missed making contact!
"Van Persie!!!"
Arriving late at the far post, Van Persie adjusted his stride perfectly!
"Close him down! Quickly!!" Ethan, the Luton manager, shouted anxiously from the sidelines.
Jeffrey sprinted across to cover, but he was half a second too late.
Without taking a touch, Van Persie smashed a left-footed volley, capitalizing on the half-space.
The strike was pure, the ball slicing through the air and arrowing into the top-right corner — unstoppable!
Goal! 1–0 to Arsenal!
The Emirates erupted as fans in the stands leapt from their seats, a few even throwing their arms into the air just as the ball rippled the net.