Arsenal Run Riot Past Wigan as Record-Breaking Start Fuels Arteta’s Wembley Push

Story: Written by Myra February 16,2026
Gunners score four inside 30 minutes to make FA Cup history and underline title credentials
Story:
Arsenal delivered a ruthless FA Cup performance on Sunday, sweeping aside Wigan Athletic with a blistering first-half display that rewrote the competition’s record books.
In the fourth-round clash, the Gunners stormed into a 4–0 lead before the half-hour mark — the first Premier League side ever to score four goals within the opening 30 minutes of an FA Cup tie. Goals from Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, plus an own goal by Jack Hunt, sealed progression in emphatic fashion.
The result was the perfect response to Arsenal’s midweek draw with Brentford and further strengthened Mikel Arteta’s hopes of another Wembley appearance. Having already reached the EFL Cup final, Arsenal now sit just two wins away from the FA Cup semi-finals.
With a league-best defence and a rich FA Cup pedigree — 14 titles to their name — Arteta’s side look well placed to challenge on multiple fronts, and lifting the famous trophy again would mark a fitting end to the manager’s long wait for silverware since 2020.