Emile Smith Rowe was taken aback after receiving POTM award, he was so thankful for what Arsenal fans did during game

Emile Smith Rowe marked his much-anticipated return to the Arsenal starting XI with a Player of the Match performance in their 2-0 win over Luton Town.

Mikel Arteta shuffled the pack after last weekend's bore draw against Manchester City and made five changes to his team for Wednesday's clash at the Emirates.

Reiss Nelson was handed his first league start since July 2020 as Gabriel Jesus and Declan Rice dropped to the bench, while Thomas Partey made his first start since August.

Leandro Trossard also came in alongside Oleksandr Zinchenko, who took the place of Jakob Kiwior. But it was the return of Emile Smith Rowe that made the biggest difference.

Making only his third Premier League start of the season, the 23-year-old midfielder played a crucial role in both goals as Martin Odegaard and an OG from Daiki Hashioka sealed all three points.

Smith Rowe would go on to receive a well-deserved standing ovation from those inside the Emirates as he was substituted off for Jorginho with five minutes of normal time remaining.

After the full-time whistle, Arsenal's number 10 mentioned that special ovation in his post-match interview with TNT Sports.

"It was amazing," he said. "I've been here since the age of nine. To have that as I'm coming off.... I didn't think I played great in the second-half but it's really good to have that support from the fans.

"I feel it every time. Even when I'm warming up. It was an amazing night for me."

As you can see from the footage below, a surprised Smith Rowe was soon taken aback, when Luton captain Tom Lockyer handed over the Player of the Match award.

"Wow. That's surprising," he smiled. "Thank you so much."

"It's a family in there, everyone is around you" 🥰️

Wholesome moment as fans stay behind to support Emile Smith Rowe after his interview 🫶

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/YwvUUJ6A9w

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 3, 2024

Here's how fans on social media reacted to Smith Rowe's performance on Wednesday night.

One said: "Put in a shift today. He might even get a few more games this season if this game is anything to go by."

A second wrote: "Has definitely shown that he can start the remaining games against lower ranked teams and hopefully sub on in the bigger games, considering the mad schedule we've got this month."

A third commented: "My boy is finally back. Tears in my eyes," while a fourth said: "His defensive effort today is what impressed me most. His pressing, intercepting, and tackling directly led to both our goals."

A fifth added: "Words can't describe the happiness that I'm feeling seeing ESR back in action. Hope he gets a goal next time."

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was full of praise for Smith Rowe in his post-match assessment of the game.

“I love him as a player," the Spaniard said. "He is a joy to watch. How he moves, how he changes direction, how physical he was today as well.

"He went to duels and he won a lot of them and he was thinking with that killer instinct to play forwards and to make things happen."

At the time of writing, the Gunners sit one point ahead of title rivals Liverpool, who have a game in hand against struggling Sheffield United on Thursday.