EMILE ENDS THE TORTURE
Smith Rowe makes most of red-card reprieve to help settle dire encounter
THE early rounds of the FA Cup are going to be a hard sell if this is anything to go by. Watching the reserves in an empty stadium with the eerie echo of swearing and shouting of players is, well, very much like watching a reserve game. Stripped of the fans and the best players, you wondered what the BBC prime time audience had done to deserve two hours of this. Strictly Come Dancing it wasn’t.
Still, we got there in the end. One hour and 49 minutes in we had the goal that decided it for the FA Cup holders. And that it was scored, quite clinically, by a player who had been sent off on 90 minutes added a special twist.
Emile Smith Rowe, 20, has seized his chance in recent weeks as Arteta dispensed with more exalted names to revive a failing team. The result: four straight wins and the launch of a burgeoning career. Here he received a red card on 90 minutes — harshly it seemed. Chris Kavanagh was persuaded to check again on the monitor and he was reprieved.
And that’s why he was on the pitch to drive Arsenal on in extra time. Without him, Newcastle’s redoubtable defensive work might have been rewarded. But once Arteta had deployed Smith Rowe, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka, the game slowly turned Arsenal’s way.
Still, it took until 19 minutes into extra time for the breakthrough. Saka lifted the ball into the box and a tiring Isaac Hayden headed clear but only into Smith Rowe’s path. That said, the finish was brilliant; one touch and a fearsome strike across the path of Martin Dubravka, who had been superb.
Poor Newcastle. They’re neither attractive nor exciting but how they tried. Once breached, the life went out of them. And on 117 minutes Kieran Tierney combined with Xhaka to set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the near post to make it 2-0.
Arsenal’s football in the first half put you in mind of Pep Guardiola; not in a good way, however. The City boss, mentor to Mikel Arteta, once said that he hated passing football which lacked incision. He might have been describing this Arsenal side in the first half. The reserves have delusions of grandeur. They probably think they’re a fine passing side, when in fact what they are a team without courage or fresh ideas.
Honourable exceptions were Tierney, making marauding runs down the left, and, occasionally when set free, Aubameyang.
In the first half, Arsenal had neither the wit nor the craft to open Newcastle up. And Steve Bruce’s men were c o nt e nt to create absolutely nothing at all.
Things did improve marginally after the break. For one, Newcastle got i nto the Arsenal half and registered a shot on goal. It was a rather magnificent volley from Andy Carroll, connecting with a Matt Ritchie free- kick, though Bernd Leno saved comfortably.
And Newcastle should even have taken the lead on 55 minutes. A floated cross from Jeff Hendrick passed everyone and ended at Carroll’s feet. He prodded at it from eight yards out but unconvincingly and directed it wide. The assistant ref ’s flag was up but the replay showed Carroll well onside and it would have counted.
Suddenly chances came aplenty.
On the hour, Mohamed Elneny lifted the ball over the Newcastle back four and Aubameyang burst on to it again. But the angle narrowed and he ended up pulling his shot wide. Then on 25 minutes Dubravka had to dive to save well from Joe Willock’s header.
By now Arteta had brought on Smith Rowe, who has been talismanic in recent games, and then he hauled off Willian and Willock for Saka and Xhaka.
The final 15 minutes were a veritable feast of football compared to what had gone before. There was a
superb Aubameyang volley from 20 yards out which was too high but beautifully struck. Then Saka shot just over on 80 minutes.
But the real drama was reserved for the final two minutes. First, Newcastle broke away and Jacob Murphy crossed. The ball was deflected to Carroll, eight yards out with a clear sight of goal. This was the chance, yet Leno dived to his right to save. Even then, Carroll had a second stab at it, swinging wildly, but Leno dived bravely to recover the ball.
Immediately the ball was played into space and Smith Rowe lifted his foot as he slid in to rob Sean Longstaff. It looked bad and Kavanagh produced a red card, which would significantly hamper Arsenal in extra time. Yet having been advised to check his monitor by VAR, he downgraded that to a yellow card and Arsenal were reprieved.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Leno 6; Cedric 6 (Maitland-Niles 120min), Luiz 6, Mari 6, Tierney 7; Elneny 6, Willock 5 (Xhaka 66, 6); Pepe 5 (Lacazette 105), Willian 4 (Saka 66, 6), Nelson 5 (Smith Rowe 56, 6); Aubameyang 6. Booked: Cedric Soares, Smith Rowe. Subs (not used): Runarsson, Chambers, Nketiah. NEWCASTLE (5-4-1): Dubravka 7; Krafth 6 (Murphy 68, 6), Clark 6, Lascelles 6 (Ritchie 45, 6), Dummett 6; Almiron 5 (Yedlin 80), Hendrick 6, Hayden 6, S Longstaff 6, Joelinton 4 (Anderson 80); Carroll 6 (Gayle 105). Booked: Hayden, Lascelles, Clark, Carroll. Subs (not used): Gillespie, M Longstaff. Referee: C Kavanagh (Lancashire) 7.