Now Arsenal will have to overcome Manchester City on two fronts to lay their hands on silverware this season.
They are already going toe-to-toe in the Premier League title race and Eddie Nketiah’s double set up another showdown with City in the FA Cup. Last season, that would have looked like mission impossible for the Gunners, but now, they are playing with a confidence and belief that will make them fancy their chances.
And in Nketiah, they have an in-form striker who has hit five goals in five starts in all competitions since the Premier League returned after the World Cup last month. It looked like a grim outlook when Gabriel Jesus was ruled out for three months after being injured on international duty with Brazil.
But Nketiah has stepped up in a big way and shown he is a top-quality finisher, and any top side would love to have him as a back-up. It was hardly a classic Arsenal performance as they had to send for the cavalry in the second half to finally overcome a team who are 58 places below them.
But after a weekend of shocks which saw Newcastle crash out at Sheffield Wednesday and Stevenage win at Aston Villa, it is all about getting the job done. Arsenal know what it takes to win the FA Cup as they have won the competition a record 14 times and Mikel Arteta has lifted the trophy as a player and manager.
Arteta rested and rotated his squad at Oxford, at times showing they do need reinforcements in January, particularly in midfield. But the irony was that Fabio Vieira ended top providing two assists and Mohamed Elneny scored the opener.
That at least lit up a cup tie short on quality and drama, let alone goalmouth action, and the disappointment was that not more squad players looked like seizing their opportunity. Arsenal fielded their first-choice front three - with Jesus injured - but Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were largely kept at bay by Oxford’s hard work and determination.
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Oxford worked hard, Lewis Bate - on loan from Leeds - was tireless but never really looked like scoring, which has been Karl Robinson’s problem all season. Arsenal, wearing their all white kit as part of their highly-admirable “No More Red” anti-knife campaign, took 55 minutes to create a chance as Bukayo Saka saw his effort cleared off the line by Sam Long.
It was Granit Xhaka and Oleksandr Zinchenko coming on which coincided with the game changing in the visitors’ direction just after the hour mark. Then Vieira came good with a rare moment of quality after 63 minutes. His teasing free kick was whipped in to the near post and there was Elneny to head powerfully home.
Seven minutes later, it was game over. Vieira again looked like a player transformed, his perfect through ball released Nketiah, who calmly rounded the goalkeeper and slotted into the empty net. Arsenal made it 3-0 after 76 minutes as this time Martinelli’s through-ball sent in Nketiah, whose wonderful chip just beat the Oxford 'keeper for a super-composed finish.
There was also time for fit-again Emile Smith Rowe to come on for his first appearance in four months, and that will be another timely boost ahead of the North London Derby on Sunday and Arsenal's push for silverware.
