‘Killed our momentum’: Arsenal fans slam Arteta for Smith Rowe sub against Burnley

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It was a frustrating old day for Arsenal this afternoon as a resilient Burnley side came to North London intent on not allowing Mikel Arteta’s men to play their free-flowing football.

The Gunners had made a change to the starting XI as Martin Odegaard moved into a deeper role, with Emile Smith Rowe recalled to the starting XI. Thomas Partey missed out through suspension, leaving Albert Sambi Lokonga as the defensive minded midfielder in the team.

In terms of the overall performance and individuals, there was little to shout about for Arsenal fans. And one thing some on social media wanted to point out was the substitution which saw Smith Rowe replaced by Eddie Nketiah on 77 minutes.

Despite not being at his very best, Smith Rowe was growing into the game and starting to have an influence on proceedings. And Gunners fans feel that the decision from Arteta to remove Smith Rowe ruined any momentum they were building.

Over on Twitter, Arsenal fans were less than impressed with the sub. It seems, then, that having Smith Rowe on for the final 15 minutes was what Arsenal fans wanted, not Nketiah.

Here’s how some Gunners fans reacted on Twitter to Mikel Arteta taking Emile Smith Rowe off against Burnley.