The Arsenal players, momentarily stunned by Luton's aggressive attack, quickly regrouped and launched a swift counteroffensive.
They understood clearly: had Luton been a bit luckier and found the back of the net, Arsenal's lead would have been wiped out in an instant — something they were determined not to allow.
Spurred by this realization, Arsenal intensified their assault, eager to score a second goal to reassert their dominance.
Facing Arsenal's onslaught, Luton stuck to their familiar defensive setup. Their compact, disciplined formation made it extremely difficult for Arsenal to penetrate through the middle. Luton's defensive lines shifted with impressive coordination, closing down spaces and forcing Arsenal to look wide.
After Hassan Ali was subbed off, Cesc Fàbregas began to find his rhythm again. Picking up the ball near the center circle, Fàbregas surveyed the packed defensive lines ahead. From his vantage point, it almost seemed as if Luton's players outnumbered Arsenal's wherever he turned.
But Fàbregas was a genius, and true genius always finds gaps that others cannot see.
He deftly lifted a chipped pass over Luton's midfield block, picking out Arshavin, who had found space on the flank.
While Luton's center was heavily congested, the wings offered slightly more breathing room.
Arshavin controlled the ball smoothly but quickly realized he had no clear route to cut inside. Driving down the line was an option, but any cross into the box would be met by a swarm of Luton defenders.
As he scanned the penalty area, two Luton players moved to close him down, blocking his path both inside and out.
Arshavin didn't bother to learn their names; to the Russian star, such opponents were hardly worth remembering.
Still, they made it difficult for him to advance. A low cross was out of the question — Luton's defensive line had completely shut down the passing lanes along the ground.
Arshavin opted for a different approach: a lofted cross into the box, targeting Emmanuel Adebayor.
Adebayor sized up the incoming ball and attempted to muscle Matt Schmidt out of position. However, Schmidt stood his ground firmly, causing Adebayor to lose his balance slightly and mistime his jump.
Schmidt cleared the ball again with authority.
On the sideline, Arsène Wenger was visibly frustrated, pacing anxiously before shouting at Adebayor.
"Position yourself better! Run into the space!" Wenger barked.
"He can't match your movement!"
After his outburst, Wenger slumped back onto the bench, shaking his head.
Indeed, challenging Matt Schmidt in the air was a losing battle for Adebayor. His real strengths — footwork, intelligent movement, and exploiting space — were where he should have been focusing. Aerial duels played into Schmidt's strengths: physicality and raw strength.
But Adebayor, perhaps embarrassed to be bested by a lower-league defender, stubbornly kept trying to beat Schmidt at his own game.
Again and again, Matt dominated the aerial battles, his confidence growing with each clearance.
On the Luton bench, manager Ethan could barely hide his satisfaction. Arsenal's intricate passing was being smothered, and their crosses were being eaten up by Schmidt and the rest of Luton's backline. Even Arsenal's speculative long-range shots were harmless, sailing wide or being comfortably dealt with.
Gradually, frustration began to creep into Arsenal's play.
Ethan was particularly pleased with Schmidt's performance. In aerial duels, the big defender had been rock-solid.
If only his footwork were a bit better, Ethan mused, he might even consider molding him into a more technical, aerially-dominant midfielder — a kind of supercharged version of Marouane Fellaini.
Still, Arsenal controlled possession, and their attacks became increasingly intense as the pressure mounted.
Robin van Persie, in particular, grew more dangerous with each passing minute.
His intelligent movement across the front line pulled Arsenal's strings, and Jeffrey, tasked with marking him, struggled to cope.
It wasn't a huge surprise — Van Persie's superior technique and awareness gave him the edge.
In the 57th minute, Van Persie received the ball just outside the box, spun sharply past his marker, and unleashed a vicious volley toward goal!
The ball zipped through the crowded penalty area — almost the only route where a shot could avoid a deflection. Van Persie found the gap.
Ethan's heart tightened; for a moment, he thought his team was about to concede a second...
But the goalpost saved Luton!
Van Persie's shot struck the post and bounced out across the byline!
"Ohhh, so close! Van Persie almost wrapped up the game for Arsenal!" Letkinson exclaimed in commentary. "But the situation is still dire for Luton — they're trailing by a goal, and Arsenal continue to dominate possession. The only silver lining is that Luton haven't conceded a second... yet."
The near-miss clearly frustrated Van Persie, but Arsenal, emboldened by the close call, ramped up their attacking pressure.
In the 59th minute, Arshavin broke down the flank, cut into the box at a tight angle, and unleashed a shot — only to be denied by the Luton goalkeeper. From the resulting corner, Van Persie rose highest and glanced a header towards goal, the ball flashing just wide of the far post.
Arsenal fans roared from the stands, wave after wave of noise crashing down, while the 40,000 Luton supporters grew more restless. It felt as if a second Arsenal goal was inevitable.
"Look at this, Xiao Liu," said veteran reporter Zhang Xing from the press box, his voice full of certainty. "A dark horse is still a dark horse in the end! Ethan's fairytale run in the FA Cup is about to end!"
Xiao Liu frowned, watching the match anxiously. He believed in Ethan — the young manager's fiery spirit was something he admired, unlike the jaded cynicism of the older journalists around him.
Meanwhile, Ethan stood tense on the touchline — but his eyes weren't just following Arsenal's attack. He was watching their defense.
Without anyone realizing it, nearly every Arsenal player had pushed past the halfway line, leaving huge pockets of space in their own half!
Only the goalkeeper remained deep.
Tens of meters of open field — waiting for Luton to counterattack.
Ethan kept his gaze steady, almost willing the gap to stay open before Arsenal noticed and pulled players back.
But to launch a counterattack, Luton first had to survive Arsenal's relentless siege.
The shot off the post was a warning sign.
Luton's defense was bending, close to breaking under Arsenal's pressure. If they wanted to change the momentum, they needed a counterattack — fast, decisive, and ruthless.
When would that chance come? No one could say.
Wenger had also seen the space behind his attacking line — but he was gambling.
He believed Arsenal could score a second goal before Luton could punish them.
From the run of play, it looked like Wenger's bet was a safe one — Arsenal were tearing Luton's defensive structure apart.
Although Adebayor struggled to outmuscle Matt in the air, Arsenal's other attackers — and especially their overlapping fullbacks, who played almost like wingers — were stretching Luton's defense to the limit.
Ethan grew more anxious as the minutes ticked by.
Then, in the 63rd minute, Van Persie once again found space at the top of the box, ready to unleash a shot — but this time, N'Golo Kanté was ready.
Just as Van Persie lifted his right foot, Kanté flew in with a perfectly-timed tackle, cleanly winning the ball.
Ethan's whole body tensed — but he stayed silent, holding his breath.
Counterattack.
Here it was.
Luton's chance had arrived.