While everyone continues to witter on about Arsenal’s stomach for a title race, the quadruple quietly remains on for Mikel Arteta.
The destruction of Wigan secured safe passage into the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since the Gunners lifted the trophy six years ago, a triumph that remains their only major silverware under Arteta. They still have four chances to put that right.
After their stumbling draw against Brentford left them still unable to put enough distance between them and Manchester City to calm more than two decades of title jitters, a response was what Arteta needed. A response was what he got.
Four goals, all before the half-hour, quickly put the contest to bed and left Arteta with the freedom to experiment.
The naysayers, of course, will declare that it’s all well and good dispatching a side near floundering in League One when they have City to keep at bay but, in fairness, you can never get enough practice showing you can put away relegation strugglers when you have Wolves and Tottenham coming up this week.
Arsenal kept the dream of a historic quadruple alive with a dominant 4-0 win over Wigan
Eberechi Eze made a statement in the FA Cup fourth round win after a disappointing spell
EZE MAKES A STATEMENT
When Eberechi Eze did not return for the second half against Brentford, that hat-trick he scored against Tottenham felt like an awful long time ago. In many ways, that’s because it was. Sixteen forgettable matches without a goal since that unforgettable afternoon and a clear statement from Mikel Arteta that he needed more from his £60m signing.
He got it. Yes, again, this comes with all the caveats of being against a League One side like Wigan but Eze showed the class and, most importantly, character of a man ready to prove himself.
He set up Arsenal’s first two goals with two stunning through balls: the first from the halfway line that took out four Wigan defenders to find Noni Madueke, the second tucked down the left channel for Gabriel Martinelli to race through and make no mistake.
By the time he skipped past two defenders and rifled a shot into the side netting in the second half, he was moving with the bounce and zip of a player finding his groove again.
It was not just Eze who showed they can have an impact in the run-in either as Martinelli and Christian Norgaard both had fine afternoons while the return from illness of William Saliba is always an encouraging sight.
SAKA DOES IT ALL
There was much squinting and rubbing of eyes when the teams walked out of the Emirates as it appeared that Bukayo Saka was the man leading them out. The winger had initially been named on the bench but was a late call-up after Riccardo Calafiori picked up an injury in the warm-up and so Saka was thrust straight in and given the armband to boot.
While it spelled a premature end to one of Arteta’s tactical experiments before it even started, with Myles Lewis-Skelly was due to play in midfield, it gave him chance to try another as Saka started there instead.
According to website Transfermarkt, Saka last started a game in Arsenal’s central midfield since April 2021 and had done in just five of his near 300 matches for the club.
Bukayo Saka showed just how versatile a footballer he is with an impressive display in midfield
The Gunners were dealt a setback after Riccardo Calafiori (right) was injured in the warm-up
Saka showed just how versatile a footballer he is. He frequently collected passes from defence with his back to goal and laid them off with all the neatness and tidiness of a grizzled general.
He was key to Arsenal’s third goal, too, as he made a fine underlapping run into the box to receive the ball from Madueke on the wing and saw his dinked cross turned into his own net by Jack Hunt.
GOOD TIME FOR NEW TRICKS
If ever there was a time to try out new combinations for the run-in, especially ones that could help make Arsenal a more vibrant attacking force, being 4-0 up against a struggling League One outfit is decent opportunity.
When Saka made way for Viktor Gyokeres for the second half, it marked the first time that he and Jesus have shared the pitch at the same time. Usually, it’s one replacing the other.
Gyokores led the line while Jesus dropped off him into a deeper role to help link up play. Yet while Jesus’s drifting caused Wigan problems, forcing a save from Samuel Tickle, Gyokores still struggled to get on the ball in dangerous areas, touching it just once in the opening 20 minutes of the second half, though did hit the post with his first after a fine pass from Ben White. He was one who did not quite take his chance.
MATT’S MOMENT OF MAGIC
Even among the bloodshed, there was still room for a little bit of FA Cup magic. With his side 4-0 down inside half an hour, Wigan midfielder and Arsenal academy product Matt Smith to get stripped off and lace up his boots. ‘Please welcome back Matt Smith,’ declared the stadium announcer as the midfielder made his way on to the pitch for his Emirates debut.
Smith, a lifelong Gunners fan, never made a first-team appearance before joining Wigan three years ago, yet was on the bench for the triumphant FA Cup final in 2020 in place of Mesut Ozil, who had been bombed out by Mikel Arteta.
Matt Smith, an Arsenal academy product, came on as a substitute after Wigan went 4-0 down
Saka was also among the substitutes that day, too, and no matter how differently their careers have progressed since, Smith can still say he boasts the same number of major trophy winners’ medals for Arsenal as Saka and Arteta.
With the Gunners still firing on four fronts, could this be the season that finally changes.
