Arsenal forced to call on big guns to see off spirited minnows Mansfield in FA Cup tie for the ages

Eberechi Eze’s previous FA Cup goal brought one of the famous old competition’s most treasured upsets in recent years. His next one may have prevented one of the greatest ever.

Eze remains on course to win the FA Cup in consecutive years with different clubs, just as Arsenal carry their quest for the quadruple still deeper into the season.

And yet it is not fanciful to imagine it could have been Mansfield Town in the quarter-finals, with another miracle shaped by a managerial Clough in the East Midlands. “You have that nagging feeling we could have nicked it,” said Nigel Clough.

The side 16th in League One forced Mikel Arteta to change shape, make a defensive change, send not just for Eze but Piero Hincapie, Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka. They had the attacking intent to unleash 10 shots in the first half, the wherewithal to stage a comeback, and the spirit to make a meeting at the oldest professional football ground in the world a tie for the ages.

Mansfield had not played Arsenal for 97 years. They made it an afternoon they will remember for decades. “It was a great occasion,” said Arteta. “I think that game exemplifies the history of the FA Cup, the difficulty of that and the beauty of that.”

It was settled by the man who scored in the final for Crystal Palace against Manchester City in May.

There are reasons to argue Arsenal have been the best team in Europe this season. They barely looked the best team in Mansfield for swathes of this. Clough’s collection of cast-offs and free transfers could note their cup run was finally ended by two players who cost Arsenal a combined £116m last summer: Noni Madueke, at £48m, and Eze, at £68m.

That neither is in Arteta’s strongest side illustrates the strength in depth he possesses, which was also part of Arsenal’s strategy in the transfer market. They delivered two quality goals: Madueke curling a shot from 20 yards that bent away from goalkeeper Liam Roberts, and Eze turning on the edge of the box to find the top corner with a rising effort.

They were required. Even in injury time, the Mansfield substitute Oliver Irow had a header to take it to extra time. A cup run that began against Harrogate, now bottom of the Football League, could have yielded the scalp of Arsenal, top of the Premier League. Mansfield were giant-killers, eliminating Sheffield United and Burnley; now they gave a fright to one of the biggest of all.

Mansfield produced a sterling display (Getty Images)

Mansfield were irrepressible. Three days earlier, in Arsenal’s previous match, Fabian Hurzeler had claimed only one team wanted to play football. Two did at the One Call Stadium: a shot count of 18-19 showed how much Mansfield contributed. “We are surprised how much we created,” Clough admitted.

Arsenal arguably had the better chances, with Kyle Knoyle excelling to clear Gabriel Jesus’ header off the line at 1-1 and Liam Roberts making a hat-trick of saves from Max Dowman and a fine stop from Saka.

However, twice, it took Arteta’s intervention to bring a breakthrough. Sometimes deemed too negative, the Spaniard tried to be too positive this time. It threatened to backfire. He tried using Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli as wing-backs in a 3-1-5-1 system. Arteta joked they only had 10 minutes to train with the formation.

His back three included a boy making his first start; Arsenal did not need as many No 10s as defenders and they creaked under a Mansfield onslaught. Leandro Trossard’s injury allowed Arteta to reconfigure, to bring on centre-back Piero Hincapie, in a search for a solid base. Three minutes later, Madueke struck. Then, after Mansfield had levelled, Arteta sent for Eze. He scored four minutes after his introduction.

Arteta was forced into a change in shape and had to bring on some of his best players to see off Mansfield (Cody Froggatt/PA Wire)

Arteta’s flagship choices at the start showed a boldness. Arsenal became the first Premier League team to start with two players 16 or under, but they delivered contrasting performances. Dowman oozed class on just his second senior start, gliding past defenders on effortless solo runs, looking the best player on the pitch. “I think he was exceptional,” Arteta said.

But it was a challenging full debut for Marli Salmon. The rookie was exposed by Arteta’s initial use of a back three. He was terrorised by Rhys Oates then. He was culpable for Will Evans’ equaliser. “I could sense that he was responsible,” said Arteta. “But everybody who was in that room has made an error.”

Max Dowman was hugely impressive on only his second senior start and first since an injury layoff began in November (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Latching on to Salmon’s loose pass, Evans powered forward and drove a shot under Kepa Arrizabalaga. An FA Cup scorer against Manchester United in his Newport days, the Welshman clearly has an aptitude for such occasions. Mansfield rocked to a tune borrowed from Bruce Springsteen, with lyrics customised to suit Phil Foden. “Will Evans is on fire,” they sang.

So was Oates, a striker whose CV includes Gainsborough and Grimsby and Gateshead. So was Louis Reed, a scorer at Bramall Lane and Turf Moor and a man denied by Kepa Arrizabalaga. Mansfield were relentless. “If we go out, let’s go out having a go,” rationalised Clough. His side certainly did.

Their goal went to Evans, a former Bala Town striker. It was one of the clichés of the day, but they all provided a reminder of the competition’s enduring appeal. The muddy patches on the pitch felt a throwback. There were scrambles in crowded penalty boxes. A clearance flew into the back yard of a terraced house.

And, eventually, Mansfield’s first foray to the fifth round since the 1970s ended. “It was a good job we didn’t get through,” smiled Clough, aware of a backlog of games in League One. “We would have had a huge fixture problem.”

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