Arsenal 4–0 Wigan Athletic: Eze brilliance fires Gunners into FA Cup fifth round | OneFootball

Arsenal’s dream of silverware remains firmly alive after a dominant first-half display swept Wigan Athletic aside to secure a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The contest was effectively settled within the opening half-hour, as four goals in 27 minutes blew the game wide open and underlined the hosts’ clinical edge at the Emirates Stadium.

Goals from Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, an own goal from Jack Hunt, and Gabriel Jesus gave Mikel Arteta’s side a commanding advantage that left little doubt over the outcome.

As It Happened

Arsenal struck early, and it was crafted with real elegance. Eberechi Eze collected possession just inside the Wigan Athletic half and, under pressure, drifted effortlessly away from his marker before spotting the run ahead of him.

With one perfectly weighted pass, he split the defence open. Madueke timed his movement to perfection, allowed the ball to roll across his body and, with calm assurance, stroked a left-footed finish into the bottom corner to give Arsenal a deserved early lead.

The hosts doubled their advantage thanks to another moment of incision from Eze. Christian Nørgaard found the playmaker between the lines, and a single glance was all he needed.

Martinelli had already begun his run, darting between two defenders, and Eze responded with an inch-perfect through ball that dissected the back line once again. Martinelli raced onto it and finished confidently with his left foot, sliding the ball past the goalkeeper to cap a sweeping move.

By the time the third arrived, Arsenal were running riot. Relentless pressure down the right saw Madueke and Bukayo Saka combine sharply, exchanging passes before Saka burst clear and whipped a dangerous ball across the face of the goal. Jesus lunged to make contact, but Wigan could not deal with the danger. Under pressure, Jack Hunt could only divert the ball into his own net, summing up a chaotic spell for the visitors.

The fourth followed swiftly and showcased Arsenal’s control in every phase. Nørgaard spotted Jesus’ run early and clipped a delicate ball over the top of the defence. Jesus timed his movement perfectly to stay onside, brought the ball down with ease and, with one smooth motion, lifted his finish over the advancing goalkeeper.

Wigan did carve out a brief spell of promise before the break, forcing Arsenal into rare defensive action. Joe Taylorshowed strength to fend off his marker before a deflection sent him through on goal.

Driving into the penalty area, he poked an effort towards goal, but Kepa Arrizabalaga was alert and made the save to maintain the clean sheet. Moments later, Rodrigues cut inside from the right and drove a low strike towards the corner, only to be denied once more by a comfortable stop.

With the job done early, Arsenal adopted a calmer tempo after the interval but continued to threaten. From a corner, Nørgaard’s header dropped invitingly into the path of Jesus, whose sharp effort was superbly kept out by Wigan goalkeeper Sam Tickle. The offside flag eventually went up, but the save was still required.

Arsenal then came within inches of adding another. Substitute Viktor Gyökeres was slipped in down the right channel by Ben White and took aim from a tight angle, his effort cannoning back off the post before bouncing away from danger – another reminder of how easily Arsenal were still cutting through.

Another opening followed soon after, this time through Eze. Martinelli drove purposefully down the left and fed Eze inside, whose sharp first touches carried him past several defenders and into the box. From a narrow angle, he unleashed a strike that crashed into the side netting.

The chances kept coming. Leandro Trossard sent a dangerous cross that required a sharp clearance from Weir, before lifting another inviting ball into the area that Jesus almost latched onto, only for Tickle to claim confidently under pressure.

There was a brief pause in proceedings as White went down holding what appeared to be an injury, prompting the medical team to enter the pitch. After treatment, it became clear he could not continue, and he was replaced by Martin Zubimendi. It marked Arsenal’s second injury setback of the day, following Riccardo Calafiori’s late withdrawal in the warm-up, which had forced a reshuffle just minutes before kick-off.

Wigan’s goalkeeper remained busy as Arsenal pushed late on. Zubimendi delivered an inviting cross into the area that was met by Martinelli’s header, only for Tickle to produce an excellent save. He was called into action again shortly after, getting down well to deny Eze after his skidding effort picked up pace off the turf – two sharp stops that prevented the scoreline from growing further.

It mattered little in the end. Arsenal had done the damage early, overwhelming and outclassing Wigan to cruise into the fifth round of the FA Cup. For Eze and Jesus in particular – two players eager to seize their opportunity – it was a timely reminder of their quality, as Arteta’s side kept their hopes of competing for silverware on all four fronts alive.