Mikel Arteta said Arsenal “gave hope to the opposition” by failing to take “four or five big open chances” in a 2-1 FA Cup win at Mansfield, while Eberechi Eze described it as a “difficult environment” after his winner sent Arsenal through.
Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal made their FA Cup fifth-round tie at Mansfield harder than it needed to be, saying missed chances and a key mistake allowed the League One hosts to believe an upset was possible even after Arsenal went in front.
The Arsenal manager also praised the atmosphere at Field Mill, describing the fixture as exactly the kind of contest the competition is known for. “It was a proper FA Cup game, and credit to Mansfield, the stadium, the atmosphere that the fans created, was a bit of banter, great atmosphere for them too to keep pushing the team and they made it very difficult for us,” he told TNT Sports.
Arsenal led at half-time through Noni Madueke, but the tie swung early in the second half when Mansfield equalised and the home crowd sensed momentum. Arteta’s clearest point was that Arsenal had the chances to remove any jeopardy and did not take them.
“Yeah you have to be much more ruthless in front of goal than we were today,” he said. “As we had four or five big open chances we didn’t convert and if that’s the case then the margin becomes smaller, you give hope to the opposition.”
Arteta also acknowledged Arsenal’s role in Mansfield’s belief, pointing to the error that preceded the equaliser. “We made a mistake on the goal as well which caused us the momentum and the belief for them,” he said, before adding: “But overall happy with the performance.”
Eze: “We done what we needed to do”
Eberechi Eze, who came off the bench to score the winner, echoed the sense that the tie was more demanding than the division gap suggests. “It was a difficult environment to play in, but we done what we needed to do & go through to the next round,” he said. “Without focusing on the process, you don’t get there. We’re working hard & doing everything we can.”
Arteta’s pride in teenage starters
The match also carried a development storyline, with 16-year-olds Max Dowman and Marli Salmon both starting in a heavily rotated Arsenal XI. Arteta stressed how rare that is at this stage of the competition.
“We had two 16-year-olds in the team today, which never happens, and I’m proud of them,” he said.
“Get a little bit closer”
Arteta closed his post-match reflections by linking the win to Arsenal’s wider aims without overselling the performance. “We have all the desire that game by game we get a little bit closer to the thing that we can achieve,” he said.
For Arsenal, the relief is that they are through. The warning, in Arteta’s own words, is that leaving chances on the table can turn a comfortable cup day into a tight finish. Mansfield were encouraged, the stadium stayed alive, and Arsenal needed a bench intervention from Eze to make sure the cup run continues.