Arsenal secured a 2-1 victory over Mansfield Town in the FA Cup fifth round, with teenagers Max Dowman and Marli Salmon making history as the first pair of 16-year-olds to start for a Premier League side in any competition. The Gunners, who last won the FA Cup in 2020, advanced to the quarter-finals despite a nervy performance against the League One opposition.

Dowman became the youngest player to start an FA Cup match for Arsenal at 16 years and 66 days old, while Salmon made his first start for the club. Manager Mikel Arteta made nine changes to the team that beat Brighton, including deploying an unfamiliar three-man defense that the players had only trained in briefly. Arsenal faced intense pressure early on, conceding eight shots in the opening 15 minutes.

The hosts took the lead through Noni Madueke before Mansfield equalized after the break. Substitute Eberechi Eze scored the winner, sparing the young defenders from further embarrassment after Salmon's pass led to the equalizer. The victory was Arsenal's 35th win across all competitions this season, the most by any European team.