Mikel Arteta relieved VAR overturned Emile Smith Rowe’s red card as young Newcastle stars win

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was grateful to VAR for being in operation for their 2-0 FA Cup win over Newcastle and praised the growing importance of Emile Smith-Rowe.

The 20-year-old proved the difference for the starters and captured the opener in the 109th minute after the draw was extended.

It might have been a different ending for the Smith-Rowe academy graduate if it hadn’t been for the video assistant referee to tell referee Chris Kavanagh to review a decision in depth in the stoppage time.

Smith-Rowe was given a red card for a challenge over Newcastle’s Sean Longstaff but after the field monitor was used he was demoted to a yellow and the youngster used his reprieve to help the Gunners until fourth round.

Only nine of the 32 matches this weekend will have VAR – those played on Premier League pitches.

And Arteta said: ‘I was going crazy because when I saw the action on TV I didn’t think he could be kicked out, but thank goodness the regulators decided to have VAR and today’ hui, it worked as it should work, so I’m so happy to have that.

“We believe in Emile, he is doing very well. He is growing and becoming more and more important in the team.

“ Today he showed again the way he arrived, the personality he played with and we asked him to be more in the box, more a threat in front of the goal and he scored a goal really important to us. ”

Smith Rowe was the first person Arteta turned to on the bench after a lackluster hour of play at Emirates Stadium, where the odds were slim.

His introduction, coupled with the arrival of Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka later in the half, helped Arsenal start their title defense with a 2-0 victory.

Captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had been a peripheral figure before Arteta called in the cavalry, but grabbed his sixth goal of the season with a 117th-minute tap-in from center Kieran Tierney.

It was another bright spot for the starters, but they suffered a heavy blow before kick-off when Gabriel Martinelli, who only recently returned from a serious knee injury, suffered a ankle during warm-up and was forced to miss after being named. the starting XI.

Arteta admitted: “ I’m drained. I was in my office before the game and one of the coaches walked in and said Gabi had injured and twisted his ankle.

“ I went to the medical room and he was in tears and in a lot of pain. We’ll have to see how he’s doing. It didn’t look good, he was in pain so I guess we’re not going to have good news with him.

Martinelli will go for a scan but is expected to miss Thursday’s home game with Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

“It’s his character that he wants to play in the next game, that he doesn’t care and can take the pain,” Arteta said.

“ I hope there is nothing too serious, but to begin with, it didn’t look good. ”

Steve Bruce couldn’t hide his disappointment at a missed opportunity for Newcastle, with Andy Carroll guilty of wasting two excellent chances.

Geordie scored his first goal for the club in 10 years in last weekend’s home loss to Leicester and could have added to his tally the first in the 56th minute, when he stepped aside on a center of Jeff Hendrick, and let slip an even better chance. in downtime when he failed to beat Bernd Leno up close.

Bruce said: “ When you come here, especially for a cup tie, and you have the opportunities that we’ve had, you hope you can grab them.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way they did their job, but we just had to seize the opportunity that presented itself.

No one is more disappointed than Andy that he didn’t take one, but his overall game and the way he led the line was great. It would have crowned a great week for him.