Arsenal suffered a hard-fought 2-1 victory away against Mansfield, a team from the third tier of English football, to advance to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Arsenal's goals were scored by forward Noni Madueke and midfielder Eberechi Eze, both Englishmen, while for Mansfield, Welsh forward Will Evans had equalised the score. The 'Gunners', who are having a great season in which they dream of a historic treble (in addition to the Premier League and the Champions League, they are in the League Cup final), could only open the scoring in the 41st minute of the first half, when Madueke finished well on the edge of the area after receiving a pass from Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli. After the London side's goal, everything indicated that the match would be easier for them due to their opponents' urgency to equalise, which would end up leaving several spaces to stretch the lead. However, Mansfield equalised five minutes into the second half, after Evans stole the ball following a very poor Arsenal clearance to enter the opposition's area and finish with a good cross-shot. Despite their opponents' hopes, Arsenal went back in front, this time definitively, in the 21st minute of the second half, with a powerful shot from Eze on the edge of the area. This victory allowed Arsenal to become the second team to qualify for the FA Cup quarter-finals, after Liverpool achieved it this Friday with their victory over Wolverhampton. Activity in the world's oldest football tournament will continue this Saturday with the Wrexham vs Chelsea and Newcastle vs Manchester City matches.
