Soccer
Mikel Arteta credits Arsenal for victory in 'really close' FA Cup third-round match against Portsmouth
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Arsenal came away with a 4-1 away win at Portsmouth in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday, but Mikel Arteta believes the game was closer than the scoreboard indicated.
Portsmouth, currently 21st in the EFL Championship, took an early lead at Fratton Park thanks to Colby Bishop's third-minute goal, but after that it was all Arsenal as an eighth-minute Pompey own goal was followed up by a Gabriel Martinelli hat-trick to put the result beyond doubt for the Premier League leaders.
And while the early deficit was alarming for the team, over 40 places higher in the English pyramid than their hosts, Arteta was pleased with his team's response in what ended up being a comfortable victory.
"We knew that they were going to give us a game and that is the beauty of this competition, that the margin becomes really close, especially when you give them momentum and an a goal," the Arsenal manager told TNT Sports. "We had to find ways to be dominant and adapt to margins.
"Second half was much better. We did react, and we did what we have to do. We are positive apart from the result because we made many changes."
The Gunners advanced past the third round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2023, and they await Monday's draw to find out their fourth round opponent.
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