"It's my first time [seeing a player score a winning goal after being sent off]! I was going mad because when I saw the action on TV, I didn't think that he could get sent off. Thank God the regulators decided to get VAR. Today it worked the way it should work. I'm so happy to have that," Mikel Arteta told Arsenal.com after his team's 2-0 win against Newcastle United.
"We believe in him [Emile Smith Rowe], that he's playing really well, that he's growing and becoming more and more important in the team. Today he showed that today with the way he came on, the personality he plays with.
"We asked him to get into the box more and be more of a threat, and today he scored a really important goal for us. "
VAR came to our rescue this time - with the 90 minutes’ final action, Smith Rowe caught Sean Longstaff with a late tackle and was immediately shown a red card by Chris Kavanagh. However, the decision was reviewed, correctly overturned and the youngster ended up scoring a goal in extra-time.
Smith Rowe's inclusion to this side has been a breath of fresh air - he has 2 goals and 4 assists in 8 appearances this season.
What did you think of his performance last night? Discuss down below!
