"Ultimately, Arsenal remain in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple after a 2-1 win earned through substitute Eberechi Eze's superb 66th-minute strike, fired high into the roof of the net. They started two 16-year-olds -- Marli Salmon and Max Dowman, who became Arsenal's youngest-ever FA Cup starter aged 16 years and 66 days -- and this was their 35th win in all competitions, already their highest total under Arteta with three months of the season still to play."
"Arteta has been criticised for over-utilising key players and so wholesale changes were an understandable response given the short turnaround between Wednesday night's win at Brighton and Saturday's trip to League One opposition. But the adjustments those players drafted in would have to make on a testing pitch against unfamiliar opposition were exacerbated by Arteta's decision to switch to a back three for the first time in 246 matches."
"They last started with a back three in August 2021 when losing 5-0 at Manchester City. Arsenal looked unbalanced and unconvincing before Leandro Trossard's injury forced Arteta into a change on 38 minutes. He brought on defender Piero Hincapié, ditched the back three and Noni Madueke scored the opening goal three minutes later, their 100th of the season in all competitions."
Arsenal secured a 2-1 victory over Mansfield Town in the FA Cup fifth round, with substitute Eberechi Eze scoring the decisive goal in the 66th minute. The match highlighted Arteta's continued difficulty managing squad rotation, as Arsenal fielded two 16-year-old debutants and switched to a back-three formation for the first time in 246 matches. The tactical change left Arsenal looking unbalanced until an injury forced Arteta to revert to his standard formation, after which Arsenal improved significantly. Despite the narrow victory, Arsenal remains in contention for an unprecedented quadruple with 35 wins already this season and potentially 19 games remaining.
Read at ESPN.com
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