Arsenal progressed to the next round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory away to Mansfield Town in what Mikel Arteta described as a difficult tie against determined League One opposition.
A heavily rotated Arsenal side took the lead before half-time when Noni Madueke fired home after sustained pressure finally opened Mansfield up.
The hosts levelled early in the second half through Will Evans, who punished loose defending and briefly raised hopes of an upset inside the stadium.
Arsenal regained control and secured the winner when substitute Eberechi Eze struck decisively from range. The result, however, was complicated by injuries to Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori, forcing Arteta to reshape his side multiple times during the match.
Mansfield Town also became the first side from the third tier or lower to score an FA Cup goal against Arsenal since Leyton Orient in the fifth round of the 2010-11 competition, ending a sequence of eight consecutive clean sheets against opponents from that level.
Max Dowman, returning from injury, shone throughout. The teenager registered five shots, three of them on target, and might have scored but for an impressive performance from Liam Roberts in the Mansfield goal.
Eze’s impact from the bench continued his impressive run in the competition. Since January 2025 no player has scored more goals in the FA Cup, first round onwards, than the Arsenal forward, who now has five, while his eight goal involvements are two more than any other player in that period.
Speaking after the match, Eze told TNT Sports, “Happy to score. I had the space and the opportunity to shoot. So I took it.
“It was a difficult environment to play in. But we did what we had to do and we are through to next round which is the important thing.
“We are working hard and we are focussing on the process. Otherwise, we won’t get there. We are working hard and doing everything we can to win all the silverware on offer.”
Arteta praised the challenge posed by Mansfield but acknowledged Arsenal had been wasteful in front of goal despite creating four big chances. “It was a proper FA Cup game and credit to Mansfield the stadium and the atmosphere the fans created there was a bit of banter,” he said.
“They made it really difficult for us. If not, you have to be more ruthless in front of goal than we were today.
“The margin becomes smaller, and you give hope to the opposition. We made a mistake on the goal which cost us the momentum and belief for them. Overall, happy with the performance.
“We have two 16-year-olds in the starting line-up, which I don’t think has ever happened, and I am very proud of them.
“I think everyone feels involved. We have the desire that, game by game, we can get closer to the things that we can achieve.”
Mansfield’s Evans reflected on his goal afterwards, telling TNT Sports, “I wanted to prove a point today, not just to the team but to myself as well. It’s typical isn’t it, for me to have a league goal drought and then come on for a half against Arsenal and have a goal against them.
“Games come thick and fast. We are onto the next game. So you don’t really have much time to take it all in. One day, I might just go through my old goals and enjoy them. But we got a shift again on Tuesday night [against Reading].”
Team-mate Rhys Oates, named player of the match, said the underdogs had approached the tie with freedom.
“Before the game, the gaffer said ‘Just have a go. We were not expected to win the game, so have a go and enjoy it’.
“We created more chances than we thought we could, and we have given them a game.
“I had a few chances. I feel like I could have put one away myself. The players they have got they are going to make good interceptions. You just have to keep going.
“It was a dream come true. I said as a child I wanted to play for Arsenal or against Arsenal and I have managed to do that now.”