Arsenal scored all their goals in the opening 27 minutes of Sunday's 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round win over League One strugglers Wigan Athletic.
Any hopes of a Wigan upset in North London were swiftly ended as Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli both scored from Eberechi Eze assists, before defender Jack Hunt put the ball into his own net.
When Gabriel Jesus netted a fourth just before the half-hour mark it looked as though it would be a rout, but Wigan managed to limit the damage as they tightened up at the back and Arsenal took their foot off the pedal.
A tame second half followed, in which Viktor Gyokeres hit the post and Mikel Arteta handed home debuts to young defender Marli Salmon and promising goalkeeper Tommy Setford.
Read the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, including expert insight and analysis from Matt Verri at the ground.
Arsenal vs Wigan latest news
- GOAL! Jesus makes it four inside 30 minutes
- GOAL! Hunt heads into his own net
- GOAL! Martinelli set up by Eze
- GOAL! Madueke slots home Eze assist
Full-time!
18:23 , Alex Young92min: An easy day at the office for Arsenal.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
18:18 , Alex Young90min: Smart turn and shot by Eze inside the area, which is well saved low to his left by Tickle.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
18:15 , Alex Young87min: A big moment for young goalkeeper Setford, who replaces Kepa for his home debut.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
18:14 , Alex Young85min: Martinelli goes close to a second, set up by Zubimendi, but Tickle denies the Brazilian.
Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium
18:11 , Alex YoungSeem to be having a late contest for who can produce the worst challenge. Norgaard and now Aimson have submitted entries and very competitive ones too.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
18:10 , Alex Young82min: Norgaard into the book.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
18:09 , Alex Young78min: White looks like he was struggling with cramp, so is replaced by Zubimendi.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
18:00 , Alex Young70min: Smith goes brilliantly to fend off Martinelli, who is charging at the Wigan area. The ball works it way to Gyokeres, whose header at goal is nowhere near its intended target.
Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium
17:58 , Alex YoungLewis-Skelly booked for a hack on Costelloe on the halfway line. He's been tidy enough on the ball, but Lewis-Skelly hasn't been particularly convincing defensively.
He'll be so frustrated not to have got his chance in midfield this afternoon as planned.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:50 , Alex Young62min: Marli Salmon is on, replacing Saliba.
He is just 16 years old.
Madueke is then replaced by Trossard.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:49 , Alex Young61min: Another chance for Eze, who strides into the area past two defenders but runs out of room before shooting into the side netting.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:48 , Alex Young59min: Eze sends a free kick, from 25 yards, into the wall.
A goal for him would cap a fine performance.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:44 , Alex Young55min: Fantastic pass from White towards Gyokeres, who takes a touch and hits the bottom of the near post.
Unlucky.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:42 , Alex Young54min: Now Martinellis flagged offside - though replays show he was on - as he raced into the penalty area.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:40 , Alex Young51min: Madueke corner drops to Norgaard, who tries to set up Jesus inside the six-yard box but the Brazilian has drifted offside.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:39 , Alex Young49min: The atmosphere is quite tame, which is to be expected given the scoreline and the opposition, but Arsenal are looking for more goals.
Second half
17:34 , Alex Young46min: Back underway.
Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium
17:34 , Alex YoungGyokeres on at half-time for Arsenal. If Wigan keep deciding to not defend, he could have a very fun 45 minutes.
Saka does make way.
As Matt reports, a dream first half for Arsenal as they can already look to their midweek game against Wolves.
Saka will surely not play the full 90 minutes, and the bench is packed with talent.
Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium
17:22 , Alex YoungThe speed with which Arsenal started that match made the final 15 minutes or so feel a bit flat. But it's 4-0 at half-time, job done, and Arteta can already start thinking about Wolves in midweek.
Half-time
17:18 , Alex Young47min: There’s your lot for the first half.
Arsenal can be confident that their name is in the hat for the fifth round draw.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:16 , Alex Young46min: Two minutes added on.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:16 , Alex Young45min: Martinelli tries to feed Saka into the area, but the latter’s first touch lets him down.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:12 , Alex Young40min: Arsenal’s forward line are linking up so well, with Saka and Eze pulling the strings behind them.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:07 , Alex Young35min: Almost one back for Wigan!
Taylor just bounced his way through the defence and half-volleys straight at Kepa from inside the area, only denied by a fine save.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:04 , Alex Young32min: Wigan fans now cheering every Wigan touch.
Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
17:00 , Alex Young29min: “Are you Tottenham in disguise?” chant the home fans.
Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium
16:59 , Alex YoungThis is an absolute mauling. Hunt has just sat down for Wigan and is getting some treatment - doesn't look like a man who is desperate to carry on.
Think he's got the right idea, the way this has gone.
GOAL!
16:58 , Alex Young27min: It’s FOUR!
It is miserable, miserable defending as Jesus has all the time in the world to chip the keeper from just inside the area.
Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium
16:57 , Alex YoungThis is getting very ugly very fast. Wigan aren't defending high, they're not defending low... they're not defending at all.
Arsenal ripping them apart. 3-0 and could have been 4-0, as Martinelli and Jesus can't quite get the ball out of their feet for a shot.
GOAL!
16:55 , Alex Young23min: They are all getting in on the act!
Now ‘own goal’ is on the scoresheet as Hunt puts into his own net after getting in the way of a clearance.
Very unfortunate.
Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium
16:51 , Alex YoungAnother Eze assist and another Martinelli goal away from the Premier League. Six in the Champions League and now four in the FA Cup this season.
GOAL!
16:50 , Alex Young19min: Eze the creator again as Martinelli is sent scampering into the area and fires home from close range.
This could get messy for Wigan.
Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium
16:48 , Alex YoungWigan fans nice and positive about their side's hopes of coming from behind here. "How s*** must you be, it's only one nil" is ringing around the away end.
Arsenal 1-0 Wigan
16:47 , Alex Young13min: Arsenal almost camping on the edge of the Wigan area now.
Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium
16:46 , Alex YoungThat's more like it from Eze. Jinks into space and then plays a stunning pass to open up the Wigan defence.
Norgaard straight over to congratulate him after Madueke tucks away the finish. Arsenal up and running.
GOAL!
16:42 , Alex Young11min: First blood to the hosts!
Eze picks up the ball in the centre, looks up and spots Madueke’s run through the centre. A first-time finish, and Arsenal lead.
Arsenal 0-0 Wigan
16:40 , Alex Young9min: First corner for Arsenal, which is worked to Lewis-Skelly to blaze over.
Arsenal 0-0 Wigan
16:38 , Alex Young6min: A nice early chance for Jesus, after being found by Madueke, but one too many twists inside the area allows Wigan to clear.
Arsenal 0-0 Wigan
16:35 , Alex Young4min: Rain is hammering it down, once again. An even start.
Kick-off
16:31 , Alex Young1min: Here we go!
That means Lewis-Skelly will move back into defence.
A very late change to the starting line-up. Calafiori has picked up an injury, so Saka is now in and will captain the team.
And here come the teams.
Not long to go now.
This marks the first time Arsenal and Wigan have faced each other since the 2013-14 FA Cup semi-final, where Arsenal triumphed in a penalty shootout, with Mikel Arteta converting one of the spot kicks.
Arsenal went on to lift the trophy, defeating Hull City in the final.
Historically, Wigan have struggled on the road in this fixture, losing 10 of their 11 away matches against Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta on Wigan
16:13 , Alex Young"We have to wait and see. They have an interim manager so they can change it, but because of the line-up we expect a certain thing.
"Once the game starts, we have to understand how they behave in relation to that and we’ll adapt and try and do it better than them.
"This is a big opportunity for all the players. Obviously, we have a lot of games in [different] competitions and we need a very fresh team today.
"It's not about the individual. Every player is going to have better and worse games, today is a new challenge and we have to be ready against this side."
Latest odds
16:05 , Alex YoungThis looks like a foregone conclusion.
- Arsenal win: 1/25
- Draw: 11/1
- Wigan win: 35/1
(Odds via Betfair, subject to change.)
Eze has immediate opportunity to breathe new life into stalling Arsenal career
15:59 , Alex YoungThat north London derby hat-trick must feel a long, long time ago for Eberechi Eze, writes Matt Verri.
His first two months at Arsenal had been relatively quiet after a £60million summer move, one the Gunners swooped in front of Tottenham to complete.
Scoring what proved to be the winner against Crystal Palace got the engines rumbling and a hat-trick against Spurs a few weeks later appeared to be the perfect lift-off moment.
Instead, Eze has barely had a meaningful touch of the ball since. It is now 15 matches without a goal or assist in all competitions.
Incredibly, Eze has registered just two shots in the Premier League since the north London derby, ten appearances and not far off three months ago. Those both came in a ten-second spell against Sunderland a week ago.
Against Brentford on Thursday night, Eze started as the No10 and had the chance to be Arsenal's creative heartbeat on a tough night.
He managed only 17 touches, nine passes, and was hooked at half-time.
Matt Verri in sound and colour
15:48 , Alex YoungOur man in N5.
Two Arsenal players could really do with impressing Mikel Arteta today.
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) February 15, 2026
Here's @MattVerri at the Emirates.#ARSWIG | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/tTv5YpubMI
Wigan team news in full
15:45 , Alex YoungWigan XI: Tickle; Fox, Aimson, Kerr; Hunt, Weir, Moxon, Murray; Raphael, Wright; Taylor
Subs: Savin, Sessegnon, Smith, Hungbo, McManaman, Bettoni, Costelloe, Saydee, Asamoah Jr
Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium
15:39 , Alex YoungWould say it's Eze and Lewis-Skelly who need to impress the most for Arsenal this afternoon.
Eze replaced after 45 minutes against Brentford and has struggled to make any real impression since the north London derby in November.
For Lewis-Skelly, finally a chance to make his mark in midfield having pretty much exclusively played at left-back since breaking into the first team.
Wigan XI
15:31 , Alex Young...and the visitors!
🏆 Your Emirates FA Cup Tics!
— Wigan Athletic (@LaticsOfficial) February 15, 2026
Let’s defy the odds, 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥! 💙#wafc pic.twitter.com/vI2oxdAQ7p
Fan view
15:30 , Alex YoungFinally Mikel Arteta develops some cojones and starts Myles Lewis Skelly in the midfield, however I won’t be surprised if it’s Calafiori in the midfield and MLS as the left back. #ARSWIG
— RedVikingFC (@RedVikingWrites) February 15, 2026
Arsenal team news in full
15:25 , Alex YoungArsenal XI: Arrizabalaga, White, Saliba, Mosquera, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Eze, Madueke, Martinelli, Jesus
Subs: Setford, Hincapie, Gabriel, Zubimendi, Rice, Trossard, Saka, Salmon, Gyokeres
Nothing from Wigan yet, they may still be on the traditional one-hour-before-kick-off timings.
Arsenal XI
15:16 , Alex YoungSaliba starts!
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 15, 2026
🧱 Saliba returns
💪 Norgaard in the middle
🎯 Jesus up top
Let’s go, Gunners 👊
🤝 Presented by @deel
Team news in imminent.
Arteta 'really excited to go again after Brentford setback
14:56 , Giuseppe MuroMikel Arteta wants a positive response from Arsenal todayafter their setback in the Premier League on Thursday.
The Gunners saw their lead at the top cut to four points asthey were held to a 1-1 draw at Brentford.
Speaking ahead of today’s game, Arteta said: “It's an opportunity for the team, again, with another competition, and the history that we have related to that competition, it's amazing.
“We play at home again. I'm really excited to recover and goagain.”
Arsenal vs Wigan stats
14:52 , Giuseppe Muro- Arsenal are looking to reach the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since 2019-20, when they went on to win the competition.
- Wigan have lost 10 of their 11 away games against Arsenal in all competitions – the other was a 2-1 win in April 2012 in the Premier League under Roberto Martinez.
- All four of Arsenal’s goals in the FA Cup third round 4-1 win over Portsmouth came via set pieces (three corners, one free-kick).
Arsenal vs Wigan match odds
14:45 , Giuseppe MuroArsenal to win: 1/33
Wigan to win: 35/1
Draw: 16/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
Head to head history and results
14:42 , Giuseppe MuroThis will be the first meeting between these teams since Arsenal beat Wigan on penalties the FA Cup semi-finals in 2014, when Mikel Arteta scored in the 5-3 shootout win.
Arsenal wins: 16
Wigan wins: 3
Draws: 2
Arsenal vs Wigan prediction
14:37 , Giuseppe MuroThis season’s FA Cup has seen no shortage of magic, but Arsenal should cruise into the fifth round.
Everybody loves a fairytale, and who would not want to see a managerless League One side knock out the Premier League title hopefuls?
But the Gunners have remarkable strength in depth, despite their various midfield injuries, and should fully expect to progress without much issue.
Arsenal to win, 3-0.
Wigan team news
14:33 , Giuseppe MuroWigan were due to make a late decision on the fitness of James Carragher, son of Liverpool legend Jamie, after he missed back-to-back matches with a knock.
Arsenal team news
14:26 , Giuseppe MuroArsenal are set to give some of their big guns a rest.
Martin Odegaard has confirmed the knee injury he suffered at Brentford is “not too bad” but the Arsenal captain is unlikely to feature.
Mikel Arteta is set to shuffle his pack ahead of trips to Wolves and Tottenham next week.
Cup goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga will start in goal and there should be minutes for Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Max Dowman is now back in training after an ankle injury.
How to watch
14:22 , Giuseppe MuroTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 4pm ahead of a 4.30pm kick-off.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Good morning!
14:20 , Giuseppe MuroHello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of the Arsenal vs Wigan!
It’s an FA Cup fourth-round tie at Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal host League One strugglers Wigan.
We’ll have all the latest updates and build-up right here, ahead of the kick-off at 4.30pm.
