Arsenal and Chelsea are currently deadlocked in a flurry of first-half action at Stamford Bridge that sees the London rivals locked in a 2-2 draw with Champions League implications for both Premier League outfits, but Gunners starlet Emile Smith Rowe set a new benchmark for Arsenal in the first 45-minutes.
The Hale End product guided his effort past Edouard Mendy low into the bottom corner after being set up by Norwegian creator Martin Ødegaard on 27-minutes to temporarily give Arsenal a 2-1 lead away from home.
Emile Smith Rowe is the first Arsenal midfielder to score 10+ Premier League goals in a single season before turning 22 years old.
That’s the reason he switched to No.10. ✨ pic.twitter.com/TMbHXDxG03
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 20, 2022
It was the tenth goal of the season for Smith Rowe in the Premier League, making him the club’s top goalscorer on the domestic front. But more importantly, that strike saw him set a new record for the club by becoming the first midfielder in the club’s history in the Premier League to score ten or more goals at the age of 21-year-old or younger.
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal celebrates after scoring their side’s first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Brentford at Emirates Stadium on February 19, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
But that goal would simultaneously set a second milestone for the England international, making him just the second Arsenal player in the Premier League to hit double-digit goals at the same age threshold (21).
Given the level of talent that has historically featured for Arsenal in the Premier League era, Smith Rowe has placed himself in illustrious company during a season that has gone a long way to prove that the Croydon-native is one of the key figures in this team for years to come.
Club legend Ian Wright had recently called Smith Rowe out for his lack of composure in front of goal in the wake of their loss against Southampton at the weekend, stating: “Look at Arsenal here, Emile Smith Rowe, he really slashed at that, you want a bit of composure. You want a bit of calmness there.”
“You look at the way he really smashes himself at this. All you want really is to get on that and get a clean contact on target. The goalkeeper is still stretching to try and save it. If he gets a good contact then he probably scores. The problem is striking. And taking chances. You saw those chances, they weren’t half-chances. They were good chances.”
It is safe to say that with his goal against Chelsea this evening, Smith Rowe showed that he truly is capable of finding the back of the net when it matters.
