Eze scores winner as Arsenal survive Mansfield scare to keep quadruple hopes alive
Arsenal secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Mansfield Town on Saturday afternoon at the One Call Stadium in the fifth round of the FA Cup, advancing to the next stage and keeping their quadruple ambitions alive.
Summer signing Noni Madueke put Arsenal ahead, only for William Evans to restore parity for Mansfield Town just minutes after the restart.
Meanwhile, Eberechi Eze then struck the decisive goal, sending the visiting fans into raptures and leaving the packed One Call Stadium in despair.
The Premier League leaders began the game brightly, coming close to opening the scoring with two successive corner kicks, both expertly defended by the home side.
Arsenal, however, suffered a setback in the 38th minute when Leonardo Trossard was forced off due to injury.
The Belgian forward, after receiving treatment on the field, was replaced by Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapié before the break.
Despite the disappointment, Arsenal took the lead three minutes later as Noni Madueke calmly curled home from outside the box, following a precise cut-back from Gabriel Martinelli in the 41st minute.
Mansfield responded early in the second half through substitute William Evans, who had replaced Tyler Roberts.
Evans capitalized on a loose pass in the Arsenal defense, skipped past Mosquera, and drilled a fine finish past Kepa Arrizabalaga to level the scores.
The Gunners responded with intent, as youngster Max Dowman skipped past a defender to create space for a shot, which was well saved by Liam Roberts.
In the 62nd minute, manager Mikel Arteta made a double substitution, introducing Jurrien Timber and Eberechi Eze. The move proved decisive just four minutes later, as Eze smashed a shot into the top corner to restore Arsenal’s lead.
Mansfield came close to drawing level deep into added time, when young forward Oliver Irowi’s header was comfortably collected by Arrizabalaga.
Arsenal’s resilience and composure saw them hold on for a hard-fought 2-1 victory, securing progression to the next round and keeping their quadruple ambitions alive this season.
The post Eze scores winner as Arsenal survive Mansfield scare to keep quadruple hopes alive first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.