Arsenal have served up a first-half blitz to cruise through to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since they won it in 2020 with an emphatic 4-0 drubbing of third-tier Wigan.
Goals from Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus plus an own goal from Jack Hunt inside 17 first-half minutes put a one-sided game to bed at the Emirates Stadium and kept alive the Gunners’ chances of completing an unprecedented quadruple.
Young Australian winger Raphael Borges Rodrigues played one of the biggest matches of his career, and earnt a solid 7.7 rating from Sofascore, but Arsenal’s late-evening romp ensured that all five Premier League sides in action on Sunday avoided upsets to reach the last-16 of the sport’s oldest Cup competition.
League One strugglers Wigan were overwhelmed in front of a 60,000 crowd at Emirates Stadium, with all the goals coming in the first half.
Big-money summer signing Eberechi Eze was exceptional, setting up two goals for Arsenal, who won the last of their record 14 FA Cups in 2020.
Premier League teams Fulham, Leeds, Sunderland and Wolverhampton joined the Gunners’ march.
Fulham rallied to win 2-1 at Championship side Stoke, with Harrison Reed slotting in a late winner after intercepting the home goalkeeper Tommy Simkin’s misjudged pass.
Brazilian winger Kevin equalised for Fulham early in the second half after South Korean midfielder Bae Jun-ho’s early goal for Stoke.
Midfielder Habib Diarra’s penalty earned Sunderland a 1-0 win at second-tier strugglers Oxford, while midfielder Santiago Bueno’s goal gave Wolves a 1-0 victory at fourth-division Grimsby at a soggy and rain-soaked Blundell Park.
Leeds needed penalty kicks to win at Championship side Birmingham after a 1-1 draw following extra time.
German forward Lukas Nmecha put Leeds ahead early in the second half after being set up by Noah Okafor, but Patrick Roberts equalised in the 89th minute with a powerful shot.
In the shootout, Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri denied Tommy Doyle before Roberts blazed over, leaving Sean Longstaff to score and send Daniel Farke’s side through 4-2.
The lack of surprises followed a big shock on Saturday when League One side Mansfield pulled off an upset by knocking out Premier League Burnley to heap more pressure on coach Scott Parker.
Non-league Macclesfield, who play Brentford on Monday, had caused one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history when they knocked out holders Crystal Palace in the third round last month.
On Sunday AEDT, Third-tier Mansfield Town have pulled off the latest upset in this year’s FA Cup by knocking out Premier League side Burnley.
Louis Reed’s goal in the 80th minute at Turf Moor completed a comeback 2-1 win for the League One team in the fourth round after they’d gone behind in the first half on Saturday.
As giant-killings go, it might not be as spectacular as non-league Macclesfield Town’s victory against title holders Crystal Palace last month – but it is another major shock result in soccer’s oldest knock-out competition.
Liverpool’s Premier League title defence may have unravelled, but Arne Slot’s team are through to round five with a 3-0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Goals from Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah from the penalty spot ensured a comfortable win at Anfield.
Elsewhere, Socceroo Mohamed Toure got on the scoresheet again as Norwich City beat West Bromwich Albion 3-1, before Newcastle United won by the same scoreline at Aston Villa.
Burton Albion, fighting against relegation in the third tier, went toe-to-toe with top-flight West Ham United but went down 1-0, while Southampton also needed extra time to beat Leicester City 2-1.
And on Saturday AEDT, Hollywood-backed Wrexham have kept up their hopes of a fairytale run in the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory over Ipswich Town in their fourth round tie at the Racecourse Ground.
In other Cup action on Friday, Chelsea eased past Hull City with a 4-0 success.