Arsenal survive Mansfield scare to progress in FA Cup and keep quadruple dream alive | OneFootball

Despite 60 places separating the sides in the football pyramid, the second-lowest ranked team left in the competition, Mansfield Town, put up a spirited fight against Arsenal at the One Call Stadium.

For all the recent discourse surrounding the Premier League leaders and their tactical approach, they remain more than capable of winning professionally while still producing moments of quality.

Noni Madueke’s first-half strike brought up a century of goals across all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s side, making them the first team in England’s top flight to reach the milestone this season.

And although a defensive lapse allowed Will Evans to equalise for the League One side, Eberechi Eze’s perfect finish ultimately ensured Arsenal’s progression to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.       

With Bayer Leverkusen to come on Wednesday evening, Mikel Arteta rotated heavily, making nine changes from the side that edged past Brighton in midweek.

Among them were starts for 16-year-olds Marli Salmon and Max Dowman, with Salmon making his first competitive start for the club after first joining on trial for the U9s. 

It was Dowman who almost gave his side an early lead inside the opening five minutes. A misplaced pass from Mansfield goalkeeper Liam Roberts allowed the 16-year-old to pounce, but Roberts reacted well to make amends, denying the Arsenal youngster from close range.

The Mansfield goalkeeper then produced an even better stop to prevent Leandro Trossard from finding the back of the net, though the assistant’s flag was raised for offside.

But as Nigel Clough had warned in his pre-match press conference, Mansfield were determined to make life difficult for the Gunners.

Efforts from Louis Reed and Rhys Oates lifted the atmosphere inside the One Call Stadium, while former Leeds United and Birmingham City forward Tyler Roberts sent an ambitious strike narrowly wide of the bottom-right corner, leaving Kepa rooted to the line.

The story of the first half, however, was Arsenal’s finishing. The visitors created an abundance of chances in the opening 40 minutes – nine in total – but either struggled to find the target or test Roberts.

The breakthrough eventually arrived five minutes before the interval, courtesy of a moment of quality from Madueke.

After his initial attempt was parried into the path of Gabriel Martinelli, the Brazilian teed the ball up for the 23-year-old to strike first time, curling a superb left-footed finish into the top-right corner.

However, the hosts, who had registered 11 shots of their own in the first half, made the fairytale start to the second 45 minutes.

Evans showed sharp instincts to intercept Salmon’s pass back to Cristhian Mosquera, and did the rest himself, sliding the ball past Kepa to level the contest. 

Arsenal’s wastefulness in front of goal continued to haunt them in the second half, with Gabriel Jesus’ effort cleared off the line, despite Dowman putting the chance on a plate for him.

But substitute Eze restored the Gunners’ lead with another moment of individual brilliance.

The England international took the ball in his stride before curling a sensational effort from the edge of the box into the top corner.

The goal also restored the visitors’ momentum, with Arsenal playing with the same confidence they had shown in the first half.

Roberts was forced into another excellent stop late on, stretching out a leg to deny Bukayo Saka from extending Arsenal’s advantage. 

Although six minutes of added time offered Mansfield fans hope of a late moment of magic, the Gunners remained composed to ensure their progression into the quarter-finals and keep their hopes of a quadruple well and truly alive.