Smith Rowe: Pain of 3-0 drubbing will Spur us on

Emile Smith Rowe has revealed Arsenal are using last season's 3-0 drubbing at Tottenham as extra motiviation for Sunday's North London derby. 

The Gunners were comfortably beaten by Antonio Conte's men in May as they missed out on a top-four finish while Spurs qualified for the Champions League. 

Seeing their arch-rivals rubbing shoulders with European football's big guns has hit hard but Smith Rowe is confident the Premier League leaders will settle the score when they return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

With Arsenal five points clear at the top of the table heading into Matchday 20, the England midfielder said: "A win would be massive for us. 

"I think it couldn’t come at a better time. We are feeling really good at the moment. 

"All the boys know what it means to play in these kind of games. We are all going to rest up now and get ready for it.

"We are going to train really hard and will use the energy, how we felt last year, going into the game."

Smith Rowe, 22, returned to action for the first time since groin surgery in September as Arsenal beat Oxford 3-0 last night to set up an FA Cup fourth-round showdown with Manchester City.

He added: "A lot of people might not know, but I have had this injury since I was 18, 19. It has been quite hard to deal with it over the years. 

"But I am really happy that it is just finally over. I had a successful surgery and I'm feeling really good. 

"Obviously a lot of people might not know about that from over the years. I have been itching to get out there and play with the boys. 

"I hope I can make an impact. I hope we can have a great rest of the season. 

"It has been difficult being out for this long. But at the same time we are top of the league and playing really well, so I can't complain."