EMILE HIGH CLUB
Goal hero Smith Rowe shows he’s got the Wright stuff.. as Ozil finally heads for exit
WHO needs Mesut Ozil when you have Emile Smith Rowe?
As one World Cup winner looks set to final ly complete an agonisingly painful exit from Arsenal, another is quickly turning around the Gunners’ season.
Croydon-born Smith Rowe, 20, at Arsenal’s academy since the age of 10, may not earn £350,000 a week – not yet, anyway. But the member of England’s Under-17 World Cupwinning squad of three years ago is a game changer, with the ability and temperament to shine under Mikel Arteta.
Since Smith Rowe was thrown into the side against Chelsea on Boxing Day, Arteta’s then-struggling team have won three straight Premier League games – followed by this battling victory.
After Andy Carroll missed two glaring openings for Newcastle, it was Smith Rowe who broke the deadlock in extra-time with a finish as icy-cool as the wintry night.
It was inevitable fate would take a hand for the defending and record 14- time FA Cup winners – even though Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang sealed things late on.
Smith Rowe might easily not have been on the pitch, left distraught after being shown red at the end of normal time.
However, the playmaker was reprieved for his challenge on Sean Longstaff by VAR and then referee Chris Kavanagh – with the offence downgraded to a booking.
And his precious goal, the result of some clever chest control and a clinical finish, attracted the attention of a Gunners legend.
Ian Wright racked up 185 goals for Arsenal, and he is a fan. Wright
said: “Emile is a real player, top quality, and I am delighted for him.
“You just expected him to hit the target. He naturally gets into the box from midfield, and it was a really composed finish.”
More importantly, Arteta is just as impressed with Smith Rowe.
“We believe in him – he is becoming more and more important to the team and here he showed that again,” said the Gunners boss.
“We ask him to be more in the box, and here he scored an important goal.
“That is now four wins in a row and, in difficult moments, young players have stepped in and done well. They need senior players around them, they can’t have too much responsibility, but we have a good mixture in the squad.”
Smith Rowe’s emergence is timely for other reasons.
The other side of football for a young player was laid bare as Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli picked up an ankle injury in the warm-up.
Arteta added: “I am gutted for him. He was in tears after and in a lot of pain from twisting his ankle.
“We will have to see and hopefully it is not too serious. But I’m guessing it is not good news when we know more on Monday.” And then there is the underperforming Willian, and the frustrating Nicolas Pepe, who again showed flashes, but is yet to justify the £72million shelled out to Lille 18 months ago.
But there was another outpouring of delight from Arsenal’s players as captain Aubameyang tucked away Kieran Tierney’s cross in the 117th minute (right).
The Gabon striker clearly loves the FA Cup – it was a sixth goal in just four appearances in the competition – but only a sixth overall this season.
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