Premier League: Declan Rice strikes in stoppage time to extend Arsenal's lead atop ladder

Declan Rice's header deep in stoppage time sealed an enthralling 4-3 victory for Arsenal over Luton Town to send them five points clear at the top of the Premier League on Wednesday (NZ time).

Time was almost up when Rice found space to glance a header into the net with virtually the last action of the game, sparking joy for the visitors and heartache for Luton.

Nothing happened for 20 minutes on a raw night at Kenilworth Road but the game exploded into life when Gabriel Martinelli's scuffed shot from Bukayo Saka's pass put Arsenal ahead.

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 went ahead again just before the break with Gabriel Jesus heading home from close range.

Luton rocked Arsenal on their heels as first Elijah Adebayo headed in another corner in the 49th minute before Andros Townsend played in fellow former England international Ross Barkley eight minutes later to drill a low shot underneath Raya.

The old stadium was rocking to its foundations but Luton's joy was cut short as Kai Havertz squared it up on the hour and Rice then sealed a thriller.

"Luton are a top side and they can't be overlooked in this league for the quality they have," Rice told Amazon Prime.

Mikel Arteta reacts to the game-winning goal.
Mikel Arteta reacts to the game-winning goal. Photo credit: Getty Images

"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, both having played one game fewer.

In the day's second fixture, Hwang Hee-chan took advantage of a defensive blunder to earn Wolverhampton Wanderers a 1-0 victory over struggling Burnley that left the visitors rooted in the relegation zone.

Wolves were gifted the winner three minutes before halftime as Burnley tried to play out from the back. When Sander Berge lost possession, Matheus Cunha fed the ball to Hwang and he scored his eighth league goal of the campaign with a simple finish.

Reuters.