We secured our place in the draw for the Emirates FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday afternoon courtesy of a 2-1 win at Mansfield Town, and Kepa Arrizabalaga is pleased that we got the job done at the One Call Stadium.
Kepa was one of nine players brought into the starting XI by Mikel Arteta ahead of the tie, as Noni Madueke and substitute Ebere Eze both found the top corner with sensational finishes either side of the hosts’ hard-fought equaliser.
We began the contest with two 16-year-olds – Max Dowman and Marli Salmon – in the line-up, and fellow teenager Jaden Dixon was introduced in the second half for his debut.
“Wow – at 16, they play at the highest level. And how they play – they play so well,” Kepa said.
“They’re special kids who are used to training with us, they’re used to being around us.
“They had the opportunity, I think they took it, and I’m so happy for them.”
Arrizabalaga reflected on how Nigel Clough’s side created such a challenge in the showdown, with the Stags having beaten Premier League Burnley away from home in the previous round.
“We lost some important balls, but I thought we also had some opportunities to kill the game, which we didn’t do, and we gave them the confidence to be in the game until the end.
“It’s something we have to improve, we have to be more clinical in both boxes. That’s something we have to focus on for the next games, because they’re very important.”
Kepa emphasised the importance of having to adapt in matches such as Saturday’s cup tie, and reaffirms the only aim was to carve out the path to the last eight.
“The goal was to be in the next round, and we’re ready. We now have the (Champions League) with a couple of big games, and we’ll be focused.
“We knew a little bit these types of games and competition is always difficult. It was tricky today, we were focused and we knew what was going on. So, yeah, the most important thing is that we’re through.
“I think we were expecting that. We have to play these types of games – they’re not easy. The pitch, you have to adapt – there are no excuses. We had to adapt and win the game.”
Read more
Report: Mansfield Town 1-2 Arsenal
Copyright 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
