Youthful Arsenal overcame a disastrous defeat to Mansfield in League One to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals and keep their hopes of winning the quadruple title alive.
Mikel Arteta has named a surprising eleven and a dramatic change in formation as he chooses to rotate his squad ahead of a busy training session.
However, this almost proved to be a defeat for the Gunners as they had to overcome sustained pressure from Nigel Clough’s side to progress to the last eight of the competition.
The Premier League leaders struggled to adapt to their 3-4-3 formation and looked unsettled from the start, both with the conditions of the pitch and their own set-up. As a result, the Stags seemed most likely to take the lead, with the Stags having eight shots on goal compared to Arsenal’s three in the first 15 minutes.
However, Leandro Trossard’s injury gave Arteta the opportunity to switch to a more natural back-four shape, allowing the team to move into second gear.
Noni Madueke leads Arsenal against Mansfield
As a result, Noni Maduke, who had been reserved as a makeshift right wing-back before the adjustment, hit a stunning shot near half-time, giving the front-runners a breakthrough.
Will Evans, substitute for Mansfield, scores the equalizer against Arsenal
However, any thoughts that this would lead to a one-way game in the second half were quickly dispelled. 16-year-old Marli Salmon gave possession to substitute Will Evans, who breezed past Cristian Mosquera and scored five minutes after the break, to the delight of One Call Stadium.
Teenager Max Dowman impressed again by much-changed Gunners
The momentum was on the hosts’ side and it looked like they were going for an unexpected second goal. Despite Max Daumann starring as another 16-year-old at the other end of the pitch, Arteta was forced to flex his muscles to get his side back in the ascendancy.
Marley Salmon and Stephen McLaughlin compete for the ball.
Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka were brought on from the bench and it was the former who fired a rocket past Liam Roberts to put the Gunners ahead.
Eberechi Eze celebrates as Arsenal lead 2-1 at Mansfield
Roberts also made some great saves with his feet and will have to be on hand to thwart Saka’s attack.
A valiant effort by the team, 59th worst in football, was in vain as the Premier League leaders held on despite late pressure to secure a quarter-final draw on Monday night.
