Arsenal blow Wigan away with a four-goal first-half performance in the FA Cup

A first-half blitz saw Arsenal defeat Wigan Athletic 4-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Emirates Stadium on Sunday evening.

Noni Madueke opened the scoring in the 11th minute after he was found with a through ball by Eberechi Eze, and the Englishman finished past Sam Tickle.

Seven minutes later, Gabriel Martinelli doubled the Gunners’ lead with Eze being the provider again, and the Brazilian slammed home his fourth goal in the competition this campaign.

In the 23rd minute, the host got their third via an own goal when Jack Hunt turned Bukayo Saka’s cross into his own net.

Gabriel Jesus completed the first half riot in the 27th minute after he was found by Christian Norgaard, and the Brazilian finished with a brilliant chip over Tickle.

The visitors could’ve pulled one back in the 35th minute when Joe Taylor was presented with an opportunity in the area, but Kepa Arrizabalaga denied him from close range.

Just before the break, Wigan continued to push for a way back into the game as Raphael Rodrigues tried his luck from range, but his effort was saved by Kepa.

Moments after the restart, the host could’ve increased the deficit as Viktor Gyokeres slipped through on goal by Ben White, but the Swede’s effort struck the post before Martinelli found the side-netting minutes later.

In the 85th minute, Arsenal came close to adding a fifth as Martinelli got onto Martin Zubimendi’s cross, but Tickle parried away the Brazilian’s header before he saved Eze’s effort from close range.

The win sees Arsenal progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2020.