Arsenal became the first side in Premier League history to achieve one feat with their recent win over Luton Town.
Arsenal left things late against Luton Town. It was in the 97th minute at Kenilworth Road when Declan Rice rose highest in the box to head home the winning goal. This strike secured a 4-3 win for the Gunners, extending their lead at the top of the table.
Mikel Arteta's side have a habit of finding vital late goals when they need one. This is evidenced by one stat shared by Opta following the late drama at Luton. They stated that "Arsenal are the first team in Premier League history to win five games in a single calendar year thanks to goals scored in the 90th minute or later. Character."
These late winners have come against Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Luton Town, and Manchester United on two separate occasions.
Rice has twice been the man to provide these crucial injury time strikes this season. First he grabbed one against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, before obviously bagging his second against the Hatters.
Is this a good record for Arsenal to have?
There is a question as to how positive this stat actually is. Of course, it is good that the Gunners were able to get the wins, but it also shows that they have routinely found themselves in a position where late goals were needed. Arteta would surely prefer that his side killed these matches earlier on.
That is not always possible though, and the fact that Arsenal have been able to find a way to win late on so often demonstrates the incredible sense of persistence, determination, and will to win that exists within this squad.
The more that Arsenal win games in this fashion, the easier they will find it to do so, too. The players will always believe that they can find a way to force a goal no matter how little time is left on the clock as they have managed to do so so many times before.
Given the Gunners look set to be involved in a tight title race this season, these points that they have picked up with late goals could prove to make all the difference between success and failure come the end of the campaign.
The focus must now be on trying to avoid these scenarios in the first place, though. The Gunners need to become even more efficient in front of goal and take their chances earlier on in matches.
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