By Ayomide Otitoju
Arsenal survived a scare to beat third-tier Mansfield Town 2-1 on Saturday, securing a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals and maintaining their bid for a historic quadruple.
Mikel Arteta made nine changes from the side that beat Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 midweek, as the Gunners aim to keep pace atop the Premier League.
Noni Madueke gave Arsenal the lead shortly before halftime, finishing from the edge of the box after Gabriel Martinelli set him up, marking Arsenal as the first Premier League team to reach 100 goals in all competitions this season.
Mansfield, who had upset Premier League side Burnley in the previous round, responded quickly after the break, with substitute Will Evans capitalising on a sloppy pass to level the score.
The game remained open, but substitute Eberechi Eze restored Arsenal’s advantage in the 66th minute with a powerful strike from the edge of the box, which proved decisive.
The match also saw Arsenal give opportunities to young talents, with 16-year-old Max Dowman becoming the club’s youngest-ever FA Cup player, and fellow 16-year-old Marli Salmon starting as Arteta rotated his squad.
Despite the lower-league opposition, Arsenal struggled for comfort at times but held on to progress. Their 2020 FA Cup win remains Arteta’s only major trophy at the Emirates.
The Gunners are favourites to claim the Premier League title for the first time since 2004, currently seven points clear of Manchester City with eight games remaining. They will face Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday and meet Manchester City in the League Cup final at Wembley on March 22.
