Mansfield 1-2 Arsenal: England duo Noni Maduke and Eberechi Eze showed their class with two eye-catching strikes as they came close to beating the League One side and booked their place in the quarter-finals.
Arsenal reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup (Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal kept their hopes of winning four titles alive by overcoming a stubborn Mansfield in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday.
The Gunners were under attack from the hosts from the start, but regained their composure just before half-time and Noni Madueke took the lead with a superb goal. Will Evans came off the bench just after the break to even things out.
Arsenal should have regained the lead, but Gabriel Jesus cleared on the goal line. In the end, Eberechi Eze put Arsenal back in the lead with a stunning strike of his own.
The main points of the field mill are:
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young people make history
As is customary in the early rounds of the FA Cup, Mikel Arteta has decided to make a few changes to his starting XI. Some of the club’s brightest young stars were drafted.
Max Dauman was selected in the squad after returning from an ankle injury, becoming the Gunners’ youngest player to feature in the competition. He enjoyed a great game and showed off his quick feet on many occasions, but may have felt he should have found the back of the net.
Dowman was joined by fellow academy graduate Marley Salmon, whose mistake led to Mansfield’s equalizer. Either way, Arsenal became the first team in Premier League history to start with two players under the age of 16.
Another bonus for Arsenal was youngster Jayden Dixon making his debut for the club after joining from Stoke City.
Max Dauman is Arsenal’s youngest ever FA Cup player (Image: Getty Images)
Who was named Man of the Match between Mansfield and Arsenal? Share your thoughts in the comments section below
mansfield fights
After these changes, it would not have been surprising to find out that Arsenal were slightly behind the target. In reality, the hosts should have taken the lead.
Tyler Roberts twice came close to scoring and Rhys Oates also created some great chances to give his side a surprise lead.
When the equalizer arrived it was certainly good value too. Stags manager Nigel Clough will be pleased with his team’s performance despite the result.
Maduke is back in the cup
Since joining Arsenal from neighboring Chelsea, Maduke has maintained his best performances in cup competitions. And this weekend was no exception. After seeing his first shot saved, the winger received the ball again from Martinelli.
He set himself up on the edge of the area and fired a shot into the top corner of the goal. It was the winger’s seventh goal of the season, five of which came in cup competitions.
Maduke puts Arsenal ahead with a brilliant strike (Image: Getty Images)
super sub equalizing
After overcoming an early scare, the Gunners conceded no such goal in the second period, with Will Evans leveling the score.
A sloppy pass was picked up by substitute Mansfield, who fired it into the Arsenal defence. Cristian Mosquera simply didn’t go far enough and Evans scored under Kepa.
Manager Mansfield was quick to praise the goal, but Arsenal will be disappointed with the way they conceded.
another cup cracker
Immediately after Mansfield’s equalizer, the match turned into a very entertaining cup match. The hosts had many chances to take the lead.
However, in the end Arsenal’s Premier League quality shone through as Eze produced another eye-catching shot. Obtaining the ball from range, the English player smashed the ball into the top corner, probably beating Maduke’s strike.
Eberechi Eze puts Arsenal ahead with a blockbuster finish (Image: Getty Images)
Gunner has multiple injuries
Although Arsenal managed to get through the game, they did not come through unscathed. Belgian winger Leandro Trossard was injured in the first half and was replaced by Piero Hincapie.
There was more bad news in the closing stages as Riccardo Calafioli limped off in a worrying moment for Arteta. He was replaced by Dixon, who was making his debut.
Arteta will be hoping that none of the new problems are serious.
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