Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Sat 7 March 2026 17:00, UK

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Arsenal were held heavily under the cosh in the opening 45 minutes of their 2-1 FA Cup win over Mansfield Town on Saturday.

The Gunners ultimately secured their place in the quarter-final when Eberechi Eze scored in the second half, but it was no easy feat.

Will Evans broke through and scored to equalise after the break, after Noni Madueke had found the opener in the first half.

And even after regaining the lead, Arsenal continued to look shaky and may well have conceded when Oliver Irow directed his stoppage-time header straight at Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Arsenal’s win is their fourth consecutive across all competitions, with all four competitions still in the Gunners’ sights.

Arsenal performance leaves Mikel Arteta with considerations

In an attempt to provide rest to the players who featured as Arsenal narrowly beat Brighton at the American Express Stadium on Wednesday, Mikel Arteta fielded an unusual team.

16-year-olds Max Dowman and Marli Salmon were handed starts, with the latter making up a back-three with Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera.

Ahead of them, Arsenal lined up with an attacking midfield which featured Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard.

But it became quickly evident that the Gunners were struggling. Mansfield enjoyed several opportunities in the first half, with Arteta ultimately forced into a change when he took off Trossard for Piero Hincapie.

Incredibly, the 11 shots Arsenal faced in the first half were the most they have conceded in any opening 45 minutes across all competitions since April 2022.

The Premier League leaders continued to look vulnerable at the back in the second half, and were punished when Will Evans capitalised on Mosquera’s mistake.

Cristhian Mosquera to face Arteta’s wrath

Mosquera has largely been outstanding since arriving at Arsenal from Valencia in the summer.

The 21-year-old has fit straight in, performing exceptionally well whenever brought into the starting line up in the Premier League.

His opponents on Saturday appeared to take him by surprise, however, with the Spaniard beat several times in the first half.

And it was Mosquera’s hesitancy which led to Mansfield’s equalising goal, after the defender failed to get on the end of Salmon’s weak pass.

Arteta will not be rueing Arsenal’s performance too much, however. Saturday’s game, along with many remaining this season, was far more about the result than the performance.