Arsenal winger Emile Smith Rowe admitted that Mikel Arteta's challenge spurred him on to a good performance.
The academy product was Man of the Match in a 2-0 win against Luton Town in the Premier League.
Smith Rowe, who has found it hard to earn regular game time, hopes that he can now become a decisive part of the team moving forward.
“It inspires me a lot and I'm sure the other players," he said of getting game time in the run in.
“It's been a really tough season for me and some of the other players haven't played as much as we'd have liked to. It's important that we came in tonight and put in a performance and show the manager that we can be a part of this team.
“He told us [they were starting] this morning, but I think it just shows the mentality of the team. All season, the boys are ready to step in and put in a performance and I think it just shows how tight we are as a team - it's like a family. We're really happy that players can come in and still perform. That's what it's about, the strength in depth is really good."
