Emile Smith Rowe made his first Premier League start of the season as Arsenal took on Nottingham Forest and won for the first time after three successive defeats in the East Midlands. The Gunners moved up to second and the surprise starter played a big role in the victory.
A string of injury problems had initially cost the England international a place in Mikel Arteta’s side along with the rise of Gabriel Martinelli. However, as the Spaniard decided to reward Smith Rowe for his delightful cameo against Crystal Palace it was not on the left wing where he returned
If he is to have a future at the club, it does seem it will be more central. The 23-year-old played alongside Martin Odegaard and ahead of Declan Rice – taking over from Kai Havertz who had started the previous fixture with Palace in the midfield role which has faced plenty of scrutiny.
From the first minute, the German’s replacement showed the differences in their games. Smith Rowe’s quicker acceleration and dynamic style saw him burst into the box from within the first five minutes as the club captain tried to find him.
He was responsible for several attempts to find Gabriel Jesus whilst also feeding Gabriel Martinelli on numerous occasions. A gorgeous dummy nearly led to a clear shot on goal but the apprehension of the entire side to shoot continued to overwhelm them in the first half.
Smith Rowe perhaps got frustrated at this himself when the ball popped out to him on the edge of the box. Finally a shot but sadly nothing right about the execution as the attempt flew high and wide of Matt Turner’s top left-hand corner.
