William Saliba and Bukayo Saka left blown away by £34m player who Arsenal just sold

Arsenal enjoyed an extremely productive evening against Unai Emery at Villa Park on Saturday, going some way to righting the wrongs of last season.

Mikel Arteta oversaw an Arsenal performance that wasn’t perfect, but one that ultimately oozed the feeling of a title-winning team.

Arsenal won’t be getting ahead of themselves, they’ve won impressively countless times over the past two seasons, but it’s still a win to celebrate.

The Gunners failed to pick up a single point against Emery last term, but took all three in a performance that was ultimately inspired by Leandro Trossard’s substitution.

Although, Trossard was more concerned about celebrating David Raya after the game – who he believed saved Arsenal on more than one occasion.

Gary Neville was gobsmacked by Raya’s save – one that will live long in the memory of Arsenal fans.

And speaking of which, Arsenal supporters will still have another name on their minds right now, one who wasn’t involved at Villa Park.

Although he left the club this summer, Emile Smith Rowe remains a firm fan favourite in north London.

Emile Smith Rowe celebrated by Arsenal teammates after scoring first Fulham goal

Although he netted in pre-season for his new club, Smith Rowe scored his first official goal for Fulham in the side’s 2-1 win over Leicester City.

Smith Rowe finished his game just before Arsenal started on Saturday, and may have even watched the Gunners win 2-0.

That being said, there’s seemingly not one member of Arteta’s squad who aren’t still invested in Smith Rowe’s career beyond north London, an incredibly popular player.

And after he scored for Fulham on Saturday, that point was very evident on Smith Rowe’s Instagram.

The midfielder, who left Arsenal for £34m this summer, uploaded a photo celebrating his goal at Craven Cottage alongside a caption of: “First goal at The Cottage. So happy to share it with you all. We build from here.”

And thereafter the comment section on the post still appeared as if Smith Rowe was playing for Arsenal, with both William Saliba and Bukayo Saka among the replies. 

William Saliba and Bukayo Saka celebrate former Arsenal teammate Emile Smith Rowe for his first Fulham goal

An Arsenal win and a Smith Rowe goal – a weekend to celebrate for the Gunners.

And although he’ll also be on a high right now, Arteta will quickly be refocusing his squad on two tough tests to come: Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur.