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• Dom Rep secure Group C honours in League B; St Vincent and the Grenadines end on high with victory over Barbados

  Dominican Republic defeated Bermuda 2-0 to not only end the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifiers on a high, but also cop Group C honours in League B, on Tuesday.

  Following the top-of-the-table clash, Dominican Republic ended with 15 points and secured a playoff berth ahead of their Bermudan counterparts, who ended on 13 points. Meanwhile, St Vincent and the Grenadines register a consolation victory of the campaign against Barbados.

  St Vincent and the Grenadines vs. Barbados

  St Vincent and the Grenadines topped Barbados 4-2 in a lively contest at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

  Ashante Browne scored the first goal for the Lady Heat in the 12th when she pushed a pass over the top past goalkeeper Rhea Holder.

  Shanice Stevenson equalized in the 74th when she pounced on a loose ball inside the box with a curling effort into the left netting.

  St Vincent regained the lead through an 82nd-minute Samayaa Connell effort, as she rounded defenders and fired home from close range that left Holder flat-footed.

  Jessicia Miller extended the advantage for the Lady Heat in the 84th when she connected with Asanteni Charles's weighted free kick.

  Charles widened the gap with a goal of her own in the 89th by converting from the penalty spot. 

  Barbados eventually pulled another back courtesy of Altica Benn's own goal in the 90+3.

   

  Dominican Republic vs. Bermuda

  Dominican Republic proved too good for Bermuda on home soil at the Panamericano Stadium in San Cristobal.

  Alyssa Oviedo broke free and opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a powerful shot that bounced off the left upright on its way in.

   

  At the half-hour mark, Kathrynn Gonzalez had shot on frame, but her free kick attempt was denied by Bermuda's goalkeeper Zakhari Turner.

  Lucia Marte was denied in the 44th, after she picked up the ball off a missed header and released a powerful attempt that was punched clear by Turner.

  Mia Asenjo was also denied in the 47th, as Turner was alert for the save early in the second half.

  But Asenjo broke through in the 86th with a powerful hit to the left netting to secure the three points.

• Football rumours: Race hotting up in pursuit of Joao Palhinha

  What the papers say

  Bayern Munich will face stiff competition in their pursuit off Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, 28. The Daily Telegraph reports at least two Premier League sides are watching the Portuguese player ahead of the January transfer window.

  Arsenal are eyeing a move for Juventus youngster Kenan Yildiz, according to The Sun via Turkish-Football. The 18-year-old moved from Bayern Munich in the summer and earned his first Turkish call-up in October.

  Jadon Sancho remains on course for a January exit from Manchester United. The Daily Mirror reports the England winger, 23, is “training like a beast” to prepare for the transfer window.

  Social media round-upPlayers to watch

  Douglas Luiz: Aston Villa have put a £110million price tag on the midfielder to fend off interest, according to Football Transfers with Arsenal leading the pursuers.

  Samuel Iling-Junior: Tottenham and Newcastle are interested in the English winger, 20, with Juventus making him available, according to Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb.

• A special night – Mikel Arteta savours late Declan Rice winner

  Mikel Arteta hailed a “special night” for Arsenal after Declan Rice’s headed goal seven minutes into stoppage time secured a sensational 4-3 win against Luton at Kenilworth Road.

  Rice climbed to nod home Martin Odegaard’s cross and seal a victory that sent his team five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

  That outcome had looked unlikely when Ross Barkley squeezed a shot through goalkeeper David Raya to put the hosts 3-2 up early in the second half and send home fans into delirium.

  But Arteta said: “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.

  “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.

  “Playing every three days, and we have to win every game, the demands are there. It’s the way (the players) go about it, how much they want it.

  “Today we conceded some goals we’ll be disappointed with. That’s part of it as well, it’s going to happen. It’s how we react to that.”

  Arsenal had opened the scoring when Gabriel Martinelli tapped home after being set up by a low cross from Bukayo Saka, though Luton hit back quickly when Gabriel Osho headed in from a corner to make it 1-1.

  Arteta’s side regained the lead before the break, Gabriel Jesus nodding beyond Thomas Kaminski at the far post after good link-up play between Saka and Ben White on the right, but they were again pegged back shortly after half-time by Elijah Adebayo who out-jumped the goalkeeper to equalise.

  Barkley’s goal, an effort straight at Raya that passed through his hands and under his body, put Rob Edwards’ side in sight of a famous victory.

  That lead was wiped out within minutes when Kai Havertz scored his third goal in four games, beating Kaminski to the ball to score from Jesus’s dinked pass into the box.

  Then late drama as Rice’s intervention with virtually the game’s final touch broke Luton hearts and extended Arsenal’s winning run to four league games.

  It was the fourth league game this season in which Arsenal scored a winning goal beyond the 85th minute after similarly late shows against Brentford, Manchester City and Manchester United, with Rice scoring in the 96th minute against the latter.

  “We don’t want to draw, we want to win,” said Arteta. “That drive, that energy, that risk and that emotion we put in the pitch, you can sense it.

  “We should have scored before with the chances that we had. We didn’t, but we tried until the end and we got rewarded.

  The manager would not be drawn on the performance of Raya, who was arguably at fault for two of Luton’s goals.

  He added: “It’s not about blaming, we’ve never done it and we’re not going to do it now. It’s about how the team reacts to that. I loved that response. I think we can defend much better there, for sure.”

  Luton boss Edwards reflected on a game from which his team can take confidence despite a disappointing conclusion.

  “I didn’t know what to say to the lads afterwards,” he said. “I’m proud. We mustn’t let that one moment affect us too much, we’ve got to look at the bigger picture.

  “They did exactly what we asked of them and gave everything. We’ve just come up short tonight.

  “We made it a really uncomfortable night for them, we tried to make it chaotic, be aggressive and brave. We can take some positivity from it, and we have to.”