More FA Cup scribbles for you now as we look back on some of Sunday’s matches.
First up, the two Double Gameweek 26 sides: Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
With these being ‘Premier League v Football League’ cup ties, these Scout Notes are as much/more about the wider talking points than any meaningful lessons taken from wins over sides way down the pyramid.
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RESULTS
| Team | Opposition | Result | Goals | Assist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Wigan Athletic (h) | 4-0 win | Madueke, Martinelli, own-goal, Jesus | Eze x2, Jesus, Norgaard |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | Grimsby Town (a) | 1-0 win | S Bueno | J Gomes |
SELECTION / ROTATION
| TEAM | CHANGES FROM GAMEWEEK 26 | PLAYERS WHO KEPT THEIR PLACES (+ MINS) | OTHER PLAYERS (+ MINS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 8 | Mosquera (90), Eze (90), Madueke (62) | Lewis-Skelly (90), Norgaard (90), Martinelli (90), Jesus (90), Arrizabalaga (87), White (79), Saliba (61), Saka (45), Gyokeres (45), Salmon (29), Trossard (28), Zubimendi (11), Setford (3) |
| Wolves | 4 | Mosquera (90), S Bueno (90), Krejci (90), Mane (90), J Gomes (90), Arokodare (90), Armstrong (90) | Johnstone (90), Tchatchoua (90), Wolfe (90), Andre (89), Bellegarde (1) |
SALIBA RETURNS…
A surprise absentee in Arsenal’s Gameweek 26 opener, William Saliba (£6.1m) made a swift return from illness on Sunday.
He got through an hour of the Gunners’ 4-0 romp over Wigan Athletic, so looks well placed to start at Molineux on Wednesday.
…BUT INJURY SCARES WITH THREE OTHERS
Absent from the Arsenal squad, however, was Martin Odegaard (£7.8m). He’d only just returned from injury against Brentford but picked up a knock towards the end of that game and missed out on Sunday.
“With Martin, we have to wait and see, obviously he picked that knock on the action where we conceded the goal and he wasn’t fit for today.” – Mikel Arteta
Riccardo Calafiori (£5.6m) was meant to feature, but pulled out of the starting XI in the warm-up. Ben White (£5.1m), meanwhile, went down late in the game and came off soon after.
“Him and Ben [White] are the only doubts. We have to wait and see in the next 48 hours how things develop.” – Mikel Arteta on Riccardo Calafiori
There seems to be less concern about White, given that he walked off without any major discomfort and indeed declared himself injury-free on social media.
🚨 Ben White has confirmed on Instagram that he did NOT suffer an injury in the FA Cup tie against Wigan, despite being substituted. ❌
🗣️ ‘No injuries 👌🏽’ pic.twitter.com/P96RNXyC1u
— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) February 15, 2026
SAKA CENTRAL
Calafiori’s injury meant that Bukayo Saka (£9.8m) stepped up from the bench at short notice. Myles Lewis-Skelly (£5.1m), earmarked to start in midfield, moved to left-back.
But this wasn’t Saka in his usual right-wing position. Instead, the fit-again England international lined up in a ’10’ role, with Noni Madueke (£6.8m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m) out wide. After years of seeing him jink his way down the wing, it was almost surreal witnessing him drop deep into the middle of the park to pick up the ball and turn.
“That’s something that’s a possibility and I wanted to try it, and we might use it in the future. There are still so many games, competitions and different scenarios to play in this season, and that’s a possibility that we have.
“He’s more central, he’s closer to the goal. It’s a bit more difficult for the opponent to get his reference constantly. He can interchange positions with a wide player as well, and he’s so good at picking those spaces. When he’s there, he can really hurt you with the ball.” – Mikel Arteta on playing Bukayo Saka more centrally
He did reasonably well in this role, although a struggling League One outfit wasn’t exactly the stiffest test.
Saka had a couple of blocked shots and played a big part in Arsenal’s third goal, supplying the cross that eventually led to an own-goal, via a Gabriel Jesus (£6.4m) touch.
Saka then made way at half-time, potentially with one eye on Wednesday.
GABRIEL + RICE RESTED
Good news for owners of Gabriel Magalhaes (£7.1m), Declan Rice (£7,6m), David Raya (£6.0m) and Piero Hincapie (£5.1m), who saw their players remain unused substitutes in this match. They’re nice and rested for part two of Double Gameweek 26.
Jurrien Timber (£6.4m) wasn’t in the squad at all, which we assume was also purely down to minute management. There have been no suggestions of any injury to the Dutchman.
FIRST-HALF BLITZ
We won’t dwell too long on the on-field action, as a rout of a side 65 places down the pyramid isn’t exactly an acid test.
Eberechi Eze (£7.2m) provided a couple of excellent assists with through-balls for Madueke and Martinelli, while Jesus dinked in a nice fourth after the own-goal.
Eze had more shots (six) than anyone on show, too.
Viktor Gyokeres (£8.8m) struck the woodwork after coming on at the interval, with Jesus playing just off the Swede in the second half.
Wigan had just two shots all game as Arsenal banked their 22nd clean sheet of the season.
EDWARDS GOES STRONG
Wolves were facing a side even further down the Football League in the shape of League Two outfit Grimsby Town.
On a quagmire of a pitch, Rob Edwards went strong with his team selection, changing his goalkeeper and his wing-backs but mostly sticking with the regulars that got a point at the City Ground last week. Andre (£5.3m) was also back from injury in midfield.
The likes of Matheus Mane (£4.6m) and Tolu Arokodare (£5.4m) got 90 minutes, with Edwards making only one, 89th-minute substitution. You do wonder if the Wolves boss might instead spare some of his first XI against Arsenal in midweek, with Crystal Palace to follow a few days later.
Mane was Wolves’ top shot-taker (four), blazing the best of his chances over. Adam Armstrong (£5.3m) did likewise with an excellent opening after the break.
Joao Gomes (£5.3m) hit the bar with a free-kick before teeing up Santiago Bueno (£4.4m) for the winner on the hour. That was Wolves’ only shot on target.
The visitors survived the odd scare, with Bueno making a crucial late block to prevent the game going into extra time.
