‘Relieved’ Smith Rowe turns hero for Arsenal

LONDON • Emile Smith Rowe made the most of his red card reprieve as the Arsenal midfielder sent the FA Cup holders into the fourth round with the decisive extra-time strike in Saturday’s 2-0 victory against Newcastle.

The substitute avoided being sent off when his foul on Sean Longstaff – initially ruled a dismissal – was changed to a booking after referee Chris Kavanagh consulted the video assistant referee (VAR) and pitch-side monitor.

The 20-year-old academy graduate celebrated with a fine finish in the 109th minute. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bagged the second in the final moments of a hard-fought third-round tie at the Emirates.

“It was bit of a relief for me with the (red card) incident. It definitely wasn’t intentional,” he said. “I’m happy to get the goal. From a young kid, I have always wanted to play for this club.

“We knew how tough it was going to be. It shows how together we are. We have been working to get closer as a group.”

The Gunners gave boss Mikel Arteta the first silverware of his reign when they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final in August and the optimism provided by that success is slowly returning to north London after a difficult period.

The Spaniard was fighting to save his job just three weeks ago, but three successive Premier League wins have lifted Arsenal away from the relegation zone.

The hosts have won the FA Cup a record 14 times, including four times in the last seven seasons.

The victory came at a cost after Gabriel Martinelli, who returned only last month after six months out, turned his ankle during the warm-up session.

Arteta said: “I am gutted. We’re going to have to see how he is. It didn’t look good.”

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS