Arsenal handed major suspension blow for Aston Villa visit after what happened at Luton Town

Mikel Arteta’s celebrations following Arsenal’s late winner at Luton Town on Tuesday night have come at a cost.

The Gunners came out on top in a dramatic seven-goal thriller at Kenilworth Road when summer signing Declan Rice headed a 97th-minute winner to finally break their hosts’ resistance and claim all three points for his side. The goal sparked wild celebrations among the travelling support and those scenes were matched on the touchline as Arteta and his coaching staff understandably displayed their elation at what could be a big win in their push for the Premier League title.

The Spaniard burst down the touchline and stepped on to the pitch as he celebrated Rice’s effort - but he was shown his third yellow card of the season by referee Samuel Barrott, which now means Arteta will serve a one-match touchline ban in Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa.

He said: “Yeah, I could not be sitting on my seat, unfortunately. So I left there, I had no spatial awareness at all. It was just pure emotion. So if that’s a yellow, OK it’s a yellow.

“I really enjoyed it, especially the end. It’s the incredible thing about football, emotions and the moments that you live together. It was a special night. It’s the incredible thing about football, emotions and the moments that you live together. It was a special night. Credit to Luton for the incredible atmosphere that they created and the way they played. They made life really difficult for us. But we found a way to win. The resilience and the the character and the quality showed.”

The suspension means Arteta will watch Saturday’s visit to Villa Park from the stands before returning to a Premier League touchline when Arsenal host Brighton and Hove Albion just over a week later.