Key events
Noni Madueke speaks to TNT Sports: “We were very professional. We had the right intent and yeah, four goals and a clean sheet. Like you said, [lower league opposition] can be tricky sometimes if you don’t apply itself properly, but that wasn’t a case with us today, so yeah, we’re really happy.
Yeah, no, [Eze] was unbelievable today. Pulled all the strings from the middle. And yeah, had a hand, I think, and I think all the goals and yeah, really pleased for him.
“Yeah, no, I thank God for the goal and for the win. And yeah, that’s my job to try and help the team every time I play and yeah, that’s my focus and when we win, it’s much better than when we drew the other day. “
“We’re working hard to try and deliver the type of season that I think it ought to be with the way we’re performing right now. So that’s our main focus and yeah, I think it’s exciting, but he’s carrying on just doing the right things every single day and see where we are at the end.”
Full-time: Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
Arsenal’s safe passage into the fifth round. It was done by the 30th minute and though there may be disappointment no more goals followed, a good runout for a largely second string Gunners team. Wigan go back to League One but there was much to take credit from once they reorganised.
90+1 min: Two minutes were added on. Wigan have been great in defence in this half and since that fourth goal.
90 min: Eze turns and shoots but Tickle makes another good, low save. There will surely be takers up the league for him, and he’s possibly a good merch opportunity, give or take some Roger Hargreaves Inc copyright wrangling.
89 min: Peter Oh is in, with a haiku: “FA Cup magic, Twinkle toes and Tickle throes, Arsenal move on.” Lovely stuff.
88 min: “Who are yer?” ask the Wigan fans to young Setford.
87 min: The Gunners are set to make a sub, taking Kepa off for Dutch reserve keeper Tommy Setford. It’s been one for the teenagers…
85 min: A fine Tickle save. Trossard’s cross, Martinelli’s header and Tickle goes down low. He’s impressed.
83 min: Another booking, this time for Wigan skipper Aimson, who smashes Gyokeres over. The big Swede clattered to the floor heavily. Old-school stuff, the reducer, though it’s all bit late for that stuff.
82 min: Norgaard is booked for a foul on Dara Costelloe who had made quite a run down the left-hand flank.
80 min: Eze and Trossard both show off twinkle toes, but Wigan have created something of a blockade in defence.
78 min: Wigan make a triple sub, including bringing on Harrison Bettoni, 18, of Stockport. Ben White has left the field with a knock, and on comes Zubimendi, with Norgaard to play centre-half in a reshuffle.
77 min: Eze attempts a flick through to Gyokeres that’s intercepted and then Martinelli does the same; Arsenal a bit hurried.
75 min: Let’s be honest here, both teams are clockwatching, and looking ahead to what follows. Wigan play Luton on Wednesday. Both teams are former Premier League in living memory.
73 min: Is Callum McManaman, hero of the Wembley final in 2013, going to come on. He was brilliant that day against Manchester City. He’s on his third spell with the Latics.
72 min: Jesus, such a hard worker, runs down the channels to close down a run down the flank from Murray.
70 min: Arsenal take the free-kick quickly, Martinelli attempts to link with Gyokeres but Smith reads their intentions.
69 min: Lewis-Skelly is booked for a chopping challenge. He then gets involved in a grappling match with Kerr, for which the Wigan player is penalised.
68 min: Eze takes the corner, and Tickle claims. He’s a keeper of promise, and was wanted by the Gunners.
67 min: Eze is wandering, looking for space and action. Trossard cuts to the line, after a drop of the shoulder, and Kerr clears behind.
65 min: Joe Pearson gets in touch: “You want drama? I’d suggest switching to Rangers-Hearts. Just sayin’”
It’s 3-2 to the Gers. The ghost of Albert Kidd stirs…Kidd is actually alive and well and living in Australia.
63 min: Salmon is 16, born in August 2009. That week, Sexy Chick“ by David Guetta featuring Akon was no 1, knocking the Black Eyed Peas off the top spot.
Joe Taylor’s afternoon is over, as he is subbed off.
61 min: Eze sees his chance to make a trademark run through, skipping onwards and then hitting his shot, but into the net.
Arsenal make a sub: on comes Marlii Salmon, for Saliba. Madueke off, and Leandro Trossard on.
59 min: Rusty Shpork gets in touch: “Re: Charles Antaki’s reference to a band who swapped instruments, the best example of a band who could all play everything like virtuosos, and swapped instruments from song to song, was the very wonderful A Certain Ratio. Their 80s and 90s live sets were funky as hell.”
Seen them live in recent years, and a few times. Donald Johnson a brilliant drummer. And bassist.
58 min: Eze has a free-kick chance. Quite a lengthy buildup. But he hits the wall.
56 min: Tim Smith gets in touch: “I hope for your sake, the unfortunate Mr. Tickle, he of the famously limp wrists, can make a save of note. Perhaps a telescopic arm to tip wide or a strong-wristed block. As a kid, I kind of always knew Mr. Tickle was suspect, and my least favorite of the group. Just me, maybe?”
Feels like he needed telescopic arms to make any saves of those Arsenal goals.
55 min: Ben White’s ball is good, Gyokeres’ finish is off the post. Arsenal want another.
54 min: Peter Oh gets in touch: “Wait, the same Matt Smith who was dismissed by the Arsenal fans’ derisive ‘Who?!’ chant? That is classic obviousness. Oh Arsenal supporters!”
Short memories in the world of b@nter.
52 min: Jeremy Smith gets in touch: “Doesn’t this game being played in the prime Sunday afternoon slot expose a large part of what is wrong with football? It’s a game without any jeopardy that offers nothing as a spectacle to anyone except Arsenal fans but which is chosen for TV because of the audience – hence the money – that it will generate. I’m not watching, by the way.”
Yes, a blow to the broadcaster that Manchester United went out early. It meant they wouldn’t be selected for a TV slot every time.
50 min: From the corner, Norgaard heads it back in, and Jesus attempts an acrobatic shot. Tickle saves but the flag is up.
49 min: Charles Antaki gets in touch: “Arteta might well be thinking of giving Lewis- Skelly a go in midfield, maybe by swapping him with Saka, who after all used to play at left back in the mists of time. A bit like the drummer swapping with the lead guitarist halfway through the gig. Mind you the only time I saw that was in a support band at Newcastle University sometime in the last century, and the swap made them terrible to listen to. Mind you they were ghastly beforehand, so the analogy with Arsenal at the moment doesn’t really work.”
Lewis-Skelly moved infield and launches a long ball, and it almost, er trickles, past Tickle, and goes off for a corner.
48 min: Graham Barrow has descended to the Wigan bench for the second half. He watched the first from the gantry. He and Glenn Whelan attempt to win the next 45 minutes.
46 min: Half-time Arsenal sub. Off goes Saka, and on comes Gyokeres who must smell goals. Arsenal play Wolves in midweek, a game brought forward as they are in the Carabao Cup final.
More quiz action: Matt Smith, who came on in the first half for Wigan, has an FA Cup winners’ medal from being at Arsenal in 2020, despite never playing for the first team.
Another Premier League passage completed.
From the WSL. Arsenal’s game at Brighton fell victim to the weather.
Half-time: Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
Nice and easy for Arsenal, hard and heavy for Wigan. Arsenal cruising, and playing some lovely stuff. Those first 30 minutes are torture for Wigan.
45 min: Wigan close out the half in possession. Two minutes added on for the half.
44 min: Wigan have dropped deeper, gone to a back four and squeezed space. Arsenal’s young hearts no longer running so free. Martinelli, though, speeds onwards and tries to find Saka, in a central position. The final touch deserts the Gunners captain.
43 min: Steven Black also in touch on David Weir: “That’s ’Hearts, Rangers and Everton stalwart …’, John. Hearts leading Rangers 2-1, by the way,
42 min: David Lewis gets in touch: “I can’t answer your question about winning the Cup with different teams in consecutive seasons. However, I can offer you Allan Clarke losing the final with different teams in consecutive seasons: Leicester City in 1969 and Leeds in 1970. Will that do?”
It’s good. Sniffer, what a player.
41 min: Saka gets space in the box before Moxon closes it down, Wigan have defended far better since, er, going 4-0 down,
39 min: Gunners go close again, with Raphael asked to head behind as Mosquera looms. Tickle does well with the corner, and tries to set up a Wigan attack. Poor Joe Taylor is being swamped up there.
37 min: Myles Lewis-Skelly hasn’t had much chance to show off his chops. Can he ask to play in midfield in the second half? Saka is enjoying being an inside-right; and is fouled by Wigan’s Aimson.
35 min: Close! Joe Taylor, of Wigan, has a great chance. Kepa makes a fine save. That’s good concentration from the Gunners keeper.
33 min: Jenson Weir, son of Rangers and Everton stalwart, starts a passing move that the Wigan fans celebrate with an “olé” chant. That’s the thing about the FA Cup: more hope than expectation, and you can have a good laugh if it doesn’t come off.
31 min: A rare Wigan attack is broken up and Saka’s vision almost releases Jesus.
30 min: The Arsenal fans do that “who?” thing when Wigan make that change. It always sounds a bit disrespectful, but now it borders on kicking a man when he’s down. Smith will beef up the midfield.
