NEVER GOING TO BE EZE

Arteta may have played two special teens and brought on big-hitter Eberechi, but Clough's classy League One side should take a bow

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AFTER marking his eighth goal of the season with his standard celebration, Eberechi Eze came in for a bit of stick from the Mansfield locals.

But he smiled at the fans and, to be fair, they returned the smile.

It was fitting. You could not have too much love for Eze’s magnificent match-winning finish.

You could not have too much love for the heart shown by Nigel Clough’s side.

It is a bit of an FA Cup cliche but the fact Eze was called upon by Mikel Arteta was a compliment to the League One team.

But as close as this contest was, it was another demonstration of Arsenal's strength in depth - and their strength throughout the age range.

Against the Stags, Arteta (below) sent out the young bucks, and on a surface where grass was at a premium, this was probably not a challenge with which Max Dowman and Marli Salmon were overly familiar.

On occasions, it showed. A pimpled League One pitch is no place for drag-backs and flicks, as Dowman and Salmon soon discovered.

But before Salmon made an error ahead of Will Evans’ second-half equaliser, the pair were excellent.