Emile Smith Rowe makes first Arsenal appearance of the season in Champions League win

Mikel Arteta was left ‘really happy’ with Emile Smith Rowe’s contribution off the bench as Arsenal got their Champions League campaign off to a winning start against PSV Eindhoven.

The Gunners cruised to a 4-0 win over the Dutch giants at the Emirates with Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard all on target on Wednesday night.

With the north London derby against Tottenham looming large on Sunday, Arteta made a host of second-half changes with Smith Rowe among those introduced with 20 minutes of the match remaining.

It was the 23-year-old’s first appearance of the season after Arsenal rejected Chelsea’s approach to sign the attacking midfielder late on in the summer transfer window.

Smith Rowe’s Reception

The academy graduate was given a terrific reception from the home crowd with Arteta delighted with his impact and the number of options he now has at his disposal with Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson and Jorginho also coming on and impressing.

Asked if having options off the bench is providing him with selection headaches, Arteta told TNT Sports: ‘Good headaches! It’s probably the hardest thing in this job because you get emotionally attached to them.

‘It’s been a beautiful journey with them. When you don’t play a play, you know how the player feels. And you cannot do anything against it. You just have to play him.

‘And for Emile, especially, I was really happy. He got an incredible reception, so he should be really proud.’

Arsenal’s Performance

Arsenal were making their first appearance in the Champions League in six years, sending a warning out to Europe’s elite with a scintillating performance.

‘It was a beautiful night after such a long time,’ Arteta said.

‘We wanted to produce the right performance to win the game. It was great to see the atmosphere and the Champions League music.

‘Everyone was getting a bit emotional before it. We showed in both boxes today I think we were exceptional. That was the difference today I think.’

Conclusion

Emile Smith Rowe made his first appearance of the season for Arsenal in their Champions League win over PSV Eindhoven. The 23-year-old was given a terrific reception from the home crowd and Mikel Arteta was delighted with his impact. Arsenal sent out a warning to Europe’s elite with their scintillating performance and will be looking to continue their good form when they face Tottenham in the North London derby on Sunday.