Among the teams currently sitting in the Premier League’s top five, Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, and Manchester City FC all managed their FA Cup matches well before returning to Champions League action in midweek.
Arsenal escape the Mandsfield’s trap
In what was clearly a potential trap game away against the 16th-place team in EFL League One, Mansfield Town FC, Arsenal took their time finding a way out.
After a few early scares, Noni Madueke opened the scoring for Arsenal with a superb strike from his left foot — a deserved reward for one of the few players performing at a high level.
But Arsenal continued to play passively and were punished when Mansfield equalized. Substitute Will Evans went on a powerful run and, despite the recovery attempt from Cristhian Mosquera, finished with a precise right-footed shot across goal.
Soon after, Eberechi Eze restored the lead for the Gunners, bringing an end to a difficult afternoon for Mikel Arteta’s side ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
City too strong for Newcastle
After a heroic win against Manchester United FC while playing with ten men, Newcastle United FC quickly fell back into their old habits.
The Magpies started with clear intent, and the opening goal from Harvey Barnes proved it. But the quality of Manchester City, their constant delivery from wide areas, and the hosts’ physical drop-off ultimately made the difference.
Savinho equalized before the outstanding Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush struck twice to punish Newcastle.
Three goals, all coming from crosses, capped off a thoroughly controlled performance from City.
Chelsea flirt with embarrassement
Fielding a heavily rotated lineup in which only Jorrel Hato and Alejandro Garnacho had played on Wednesday, Chelsea were stunned early by Wrexham AFC.
With clear attacking intent and impressive possession play, the Welsh side took the lead through Sam Smith, who capitalized on a misunderstanding between Benoît Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo.
Although Garnacho quickly equalized, Chelsea once again slowed the tempo and allowed themselves to be lulled into a sluggish rhythm. After repeatedly conceding set pieces, Wrexham struck again when James Doyle deflected a shot that ended up in the net behind Robert Sánchez.
But the lead did not last long. Josh Acheampong equalized after a superb individual effort from Andrey Santos.
Chelsea finally pulled away in extra time, with goals from Garnacho and João Pedro, helped by the red card shown to George Dobson.