Future stars impress Mikel Arteta as Arsenal edge past Mansfield in FA Cup | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta praised Max Dowman and Marli Salmon after the 16-year-olds helped Arsenal reach the FA Cup quarter-finals by edging past gutsy League One outfit Mansfield.

The Premier League leaders were made to sweat on Saturday lunchtime at a sold-out One Call Stadium, where half-time introduction Will Evans struck as the spirited Stags cancelled out Noni Madueke’s opener.

Arteta turned to his star-studded bench to swing the tie back in their favour and substitute Eberechi Eze’s lasered effort secured a 2-1 win on a day when teenagers Dowman and Salmon were among nine Arsenal changes.

The former shone particularly brightly and became the Gunners’ youngest ever FA Cup player at the age of 16 years 66 days as he made his first appearance since November following an ankle issue.

“Very proud of him, very proud as well of Marli,” Arteta said. “Obviously two 16-year-olds starting in the FA Cup. That tells us a lot about them, their personality and the quality that they have. Max, I think, was exceptional.

“I congratulated them. I think Max is the youngest ever in the competition (for Arsenal), and this competition has been going for a while, so it tells you how difficult that is.”

Arteta stressed there is “plenty more to come” from the pair, as well as Jaden Dixon, 18, after his debut off the bench, and believes Salmon will learn from the under-hit pass in the build-up to Evans’ equaliser.

“I have to watch it back, but I could sense that he was responsible,” the Spaniard said.

“And it is good in a way but don’t lose perspective because everybody that has been in that room, that has been at this level, has made an error, a mistake, or a situation leading to a goal.

“But that’s not important. The important thing is the way he played and some of the things that he’s done on the pitch. I think that’s much more important than the other part.”

Quadruple-chasing Arsenal are into the FA Cup quarter-final draw for the first time since Arteta oversaw the first, and so far only, trophy of his reign in 2020.

“It was a great occasion,” he added. “That game exemplifies the history of the FA Cup, the difficulty of that and the beauty of that. They made it really hard, so big congratulations to Nigel (Clough) and the team for the way they played.”

Mansfield will look to kickstart their stuttering League One campaign on the back of an impressive, battling display in their first FA Cup fifth-round tie since 1975.

Town manager Clough said: “We are extremely proud of the performance. The club generally but certainly the performance on the pitch of the players.

“But we’ve got that little nagging feeling in your stomach where we had an opportunity today and we could have nicked it.

“Everything that we set out to do, make it uncomfortable for Arsenal, not sit back, all those sorts of things. Just the difference in the end is the finishing.

“The quality of the goals that they put in is the difference in the game and always will be.”