The Gunners put the game to bed inside 30 minutes.
Arsenal cruised into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic, making history with a crushing display of first-half dominance.
The Premier League leaders were dealt a blow in the warm-up when left-back Riccardo Calafiori was injured, forcing Mikel Arteta into a change as Bukayo Saka came into the side, with Myles Lewis-Skelly dropping back from midfield and into his more natural position.
That setback never looked like stopping the Gunners from claiming a dominant win over the struggling League One side, Arsenal becoming the first Premier League side to score four goals in the first 30 minutes of an FA Cup tie as they put the Latics to the sword to keep their hopes of a quadruple alive.
Noni Madueke opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Gabriel Martinelli doubled the lead seven minutes later.
Jack Hunt’s own goal put any hint of a comeback to bed, and it was 4-0 in the 27th minute after Gabriel Jesus’ composed finish.
Arsenal could not add to their lead, and there was more injury concern in defence when Ben White was forced off late in the second half. However, with two more Premier League games on the horizon against Wolves and North London rivals Tottenham in the coming seven days, the Gunners will have been very grateful for a routine victory for their rotated side.
Arsenal cruise into fifth round
Madueke slotted confidently into the bottom-left corner to break a deadlock that never looked like persisting very long as he latched onto Eberechi Eze’s superb throughball.
Eze was the provider again with another precise pass as Martinelli scored his 11th goal of the season, 10 of which have come in European and domestic cup competitions.
The Brazilian fired across goalkeeper Sam Tickle to become the first Arsenal player to score 10 or more goals in domestic and European cup competitions in the same season since Ian Wright in the 1994-95 campaign.
Hunt had the misfortune of diverting into his own net from Saka’s right-wing pullback to put the game beyond doubt, and Wigan’s insistence on playing a high line backfired as Jesus collected Christian Norgaard’s pass and lofted beyond a helpless Tickle.
Arsenal were able to take their foot off the gas in the second half, though they still had several chances to add to their lead.
Viktor Gyokeres hit the post and the influential Eze lashed into the side-netting, before the extremely busy Tickle produced fine saves to deny both Martinelli and Eze.
Much greater tests lie in wait for Arsenal as they seek a historic quadruple, but Arteta will doubtless be extremely pleased with the professional job his side did, with the injuries to Calafiori and White the only concerns.
Madueke heaps praise on Eze
In assisting each of the opening two goals, the former Crystal Palace man became the first Arsenal player to record multiple assists in a home FA Cup match since Hector Bellerin versus Sunderland in January 2016.
And Madueke had huge praise for a team-mate who had been enduring a slow start to 2026.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Madueke said: “He was unbelievable today. He pulled all the strings from the middle and had a hand in all the goals. I’m really pleased for him.”
Asked if Arsenal fans could afford to be excited about the end of the season, he replied: “I think they have every right to be.
“We are working hard to try and deliver the type of season it ought to be with our performances right now. That is our main focus and I think it is exciting – but we need to carry on doing the right things every single day.”
