Arsenal will travel to Manchester City in the fourth round of the FA Cup after beating Oxford 3-0 in a tough contest on Monday night.
Mikel Arteta's side struggled to break down the hosts at the Kassam Stadium but showed their class in the final 30 minutes of the cup tie to keep their hopes alive. Mohamed Elneny's header and a brace from Eddie Nketiah did the trick for the visitors.
Arsenal will have to beat Pep Guardiola's side to keep their FA Cup run going. That's a daunting task, as they were hammered 5-0 on their most recent trip to the Etihad in August 2021. Here are the main talking points from a tricky tie for the Gunners.
Arteta plays the big Guns
There's always a temptation for Premier League managers to rest and rotate in the FA Cup. Arteta made some changes for Monday night's game but still named a strong XI - one that included the likes of Bukayo Saka, Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli.
There were also starts for Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney. The fact those two are no longer guaranteed starters shows the quality and quantity Arteta now has at his disposal. Although Arsenal's squad depth is not as impressive as Man City's, it is getting stronger with each passing window - which is testament to the job sporting director Edu is doing.
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Classic FA Cup tie
Like all favourites, Arsenal would've been hoping for an early goal to quash any lingering fears of an upset. Yet the visitors struggled to create chances in the opening 30 minutes.
The pitch was bobbly, the tackles were spicy and the home fans were well up for it. There was an energy about Oxford, as if there was a chance - no matter how slim - of a famous upset against the Premier League leaders. It had all the makings of a proper cup tie.
Arsenal's frustrations clear
Arsenal were not at their best during the first half, but they still had a solid penalty appeal turned down. The incident happened around 10 minutes before the interval, as Albert Sambi Lokonga's low drive hit a sliding Elliott Moore on the arm.
Several Arsenal players surrounded referee David Coote to make their feelings known, but a corner was awarded. Nketiah then had a chance to give the visitors the lead when the ball fell to him in the six-yard box, yet his instinctive effort cleared the crossbar.
Substitutes do the trick
Arsenal were handed a wake-up call during the opening minutes of the second half when Oxford striker Matty Taylor was played through on goal. He struggled to take the ball under his spell, which allowed Matt Turner to rush out of his goal and close the angle.
Arsenal needed to find a goal - and Saka almost made the breakthrough in the 55th minute. The England international, in trademark fashion, cut in from the right flank and hit a left-footed strike - yet Lewis Bate was on hand to make a goal-line clearance.
The deadlock persuaded Arteta to make two substitutions just after the hour mark, bringing on Granit Xhaka and Oleksandr Zinchenko. It proved to be a wise decision by the Gunners boss, with Elneny's opener coming just a few minutes later.
The goal came after Arsenal won a dangerous free kick down the left flank. Fabio Vieira, who was having a quiet night up until that point, delivered an irresistible ball into the middle for Elneny to head home. The Egypt international simply couldn't miss from there.
Nketiah settles it
Any hope of an Oxford comeback was dashed just minutes after Elneny's opener thanks to Nketiah and Vieira. The Portuguese midfielder received the ball in an advanced position, turned and sent his English team-mate through on goal.
From there, Nketiah did the rest. He went around goalkeeper Edward McGinty and rolled the ball into the net. Chants of Vieira's name - first heard during Patrick Vieira's iconic spell at Arsenal years ago - rang around the Kassam Stadium. It was just what he deserved.
Nketiah then ended the tie by dinking the ball over McGinty after being put through on goal by Martinelli. For a long time, it seemed as if a famous FA Cup upset might just be on the cards. But, in the end, Arteta's quality from the bench proved to be the difference.
