Eze's thunderbolt keeps Arsenal's quadruple dream alive at Mansfield
Arsenal needed a substitute's intervention to see off Mansfield Town and keep their quadruple hopes intact on Saturday afternoon. Eberechi Eze struck four minutes after coming on to settle a fifth-round tie that the League One club had turned into exactly the kind of occasion the FA Cup is built for.
Mikel Arteta made nine changes from the midweek win over Brighton, handing starts to 16-year-old academy products Max Dowman and Marli Salmon. Dowman, at 16 years and 66 days, became Arsenal's youngest ever FA Cup player.
Madueke breaks the deadlock
The rotated side struggled to impose themselves early on against a well-organised Mansfield defence. Noni Madueke broke the deadlock four minutes before half-time with a composed finish, Arsenal's 100th goal across all competitions this season.
Mansfield had other ideas. Will Evans, introduced at the break by Nigel Clough, needed just five minutes to draw the hosts level and send the One Call Stadium into bedlam. The same fighting spirit that saw Mansfield beat Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor in the fourth round was on full display. This was a club reaching the fifth round for the first time since 1975, and they were not about to roll over.
Eze settles it from the bench
Arteta responded by sending on Eze and Jurrien Timber in the 62nd minute. Eze needed no time to settle. From the edge of the area, he unleashed a fierce drive that Mansfield goalkeeper Liam Roberts could only watch fly past him. Four minutes on the pitch, one goal, job done.
Mansfield pushed hard for another equaliser in the closing stages but Arsenal held firm. Clough was proud of his side afterwards, saying they had made it a "proper cup tie" and given Arsenal an uncomfortable afternoon.
The quadruple bid rolls on
For Arsenal, the win means all four trophies remain in play. They lead the Premier League by seven points with eight matches left, face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League last 16 next week, have a Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on March 22, and now sit in the FA Cup quarter-final draw. No English club has ever won all four in a single season.
