marked his return to the starting line-up by putting in a Man of the Match display as the Gunners returned to the top of the table. The midfielder spoke of the support he's received from fans of the club despite his lack of game time throughout the season. heavily rotated his team to welcome the Hatters to the Emirates Stadium, making five changes to the side he fielded in the prior fixture against
Manchester City. This saw Smith Rowe, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey, Reiss Nelson, and Leandro Trossard given the opportunity to play their way into the Spanish manager's plans. The young Englishman was the standout performer on the night and will have given his boss a selection dilemma going forward after his fine display. The north
London side put in a solid performance as a Martin Odegaard strike and a Daiki Hashioka own goal handed them all three points.
Arsenal have put together a 10-game unbeaten run in the
Premier League, not tasting defeat in the division in 2024. The Luton defender diverted the ball into his own net after Smith Rowe made a clever run down the left-hand side of the penalty area and flashed the ball across the six-yard box. He enjoyed being back on the pitch, as shown by his interview after the game. The 23-year-old was substituted in the 85th minute of the encounter with Jorginho coming on in his place. The supporters inside the ground proceeded to give the Hale End youth product a standing ovation. When speaking to TNT Sports in his post-match interview, Smith Rowe claimed: "It was amazing. I've been here since the age of nine. To have that as I'm coming off, I didn't think I played great in the second-half, but it's really good to have that support from the fans." Luton Town club captain Tom Lockyer praised the midfielder before asking how vital it was that he showed what he's capable of when given the opportunity. The Arsenal ace replied: "It was really important, especially being at home here with all the Arsenal fans helped me. I've been getting so much support from not just the players but the staff as well. It feels just like a family." He was presented with the Man of the Match award, to which Smith Rowe gave the wholesome response: "Wow. That's surprising. Thank you so much." Smith Rowe has played in a variety of roles for the Gunners, even featuring on the left wing at times. Arteta tasked him with playing as part of a midfield three against Luton, alongside Odegaard and Partey. He caught the eye with his energetic pressing and clever use of the ball. Smith Rowe's confidence in possession of the ball is evident, and the opposition midfield couldn't cope with his ability to find space and pick the ball up on the half-turn before driving forward or picking out a pass. The Man of the Match award was a deserved honour after a brilliant performance that helped Arsenal return to the top of the table in an extremely tight .