Smith-Rowe was a pleasure to watch, claims his manager Mikel Arteta

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta praised Emile Smith-Rowe after the midfielder's Man of the Match performance against Luton Town on Wednesday, calling him "a joy to watch".

The 23-year-old started his third Premier League game of the season in Arsenal's 2-0 win and was crucial for both goals.

"A lot," Arteta said when asked how much the performance could help Smith-Rowe's confidence. "I love him as a player. He is a joy to watch. How he moves, changes direction and how physical he was today without the ball.

"He went into duels and won a lot of them and was thinking with that killer instinct to play forward and make things happen. When Emile is in that moment, it's very difficult to stop him. Today, he helped us a lot to win the game."

The Arsenal tactician also gave an update on Bukayo Saka, who was absent from the matchday squad after limping off against Manchester City with a hamstring issue on the weekend.

"He was close, but he felt something in a very similar area (to) against City and it was a very short turnaround," Arteta said.

"Hopefully, he will be able to train tomorrow and be available for the weekend."

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 31

Tuesday

Newcastle - Everton 1-1 (1-0)

/Isak 15 - Calvert-Lewin 88 pen/

Nott. Forest - Fulham 3-1 (3-0)

/Hudson-Odoi 9, Wood 19, Gibbs-White 45+3 - Adarabioyo 49/

Burnley - Wolverhampton 1-1 (1-1)

/Larsen 37 - Nouri 45+3/

Bournemouth - Crystal Palace 1-0 (0-0)

/Kluivert 79/

West Ham - Tottenham 1-1 (1-1)

/Zouma 19 - Johnson 5/

Wednesday

Brentford - Brighton 0-0

Arsenal - Luton 2-0 (2-0)

/Odegaard 24, Hoshioka 44 og/

Man.City - Aston Villa 4-1 (2-1)

/Rodri 11, Foden 46, 62, 70 - Duran 22/

Thursday

21:30: (1.10) Liverpool (11.0) Sheffield Utd (18.0)

22:15: (2.10) Chelsea (3.70) Man.Utd. (3.60)

***odds are subject to change***