Oxford vs Arsenal LIVE!

Arsenal set up a blockbuster FA Cup fourth-round clash at Manchester City after eventually seeing off third-tier Oxford on Monday night. Mikel Arteta made seven changes from the recent goalless stalemate with Newcastle and the Premier League leaders were made to work for a 3-0 victory at the Kassam Stadium.

Neither side mustered a shot on target in an utterly-forgettable opening 45 minutes before Mohamed Elneny's first goal in 617 days broke the deadlock and a classy Eddie Nketiah brace wrapped up the win.

Bukayo Saka also limped off on a night where the scoreline ultimately flattered Arsenal, who now travel to their nearest title rivals City as a reward.

Oxford vs Arsenal highlights

• GOAL! Elneny opens the scoring

• GOAL! Nketiah adds quickfire second

• GOAL! Nketiah chips in the third

Oxford United FC 0 - 3 Arsenal FC

Thanks for joining us!

22:11 , Marc Mayo

Arsenal come good in the end to down Oxford in the FA Cup.

Join us tomorrow for some Carabao Cup action...

Recap the action here with Simon’s match report!

Player ratings

21:59 , Marc Mayo

A handful of 8/10 performers in Simon’s round-up of Arsenal’s performers.

Read the full story!

Eddie Nketiah on facing Man City

21:56 , Marc Mayo

“Not the best draw but we’re up for it!”

Next up... Man City!

21:53 , Marc Mayo

Full time! Oxford 0-3 Arsenal

21:49 , Marc Mayo

Gunners fans had to wait a little while to see their team click into gear but goals from Mohamed Elneny and Eddie Nketiah get the job done!

21:47 , Marc Mayo

90 mins: Two minutes added on, the sort of injury time where you know the game is up...

21:46 , Marc Mayo

89 mins: Zinchenko lashes over from outside the box as Nketiah is named the official Man of the Match.

21:44 , Marc Mayo

87 mins: Oxford looking threatening late on with a large sense of the League One side throwing it forward with nothing left to lose.

Goodrham’s free kick is nodded down by Long and Turner scoops it up.

21:40 , Marc Mayo

83 mins: Final Oxford changes as new signing Fleming and Johnson replace Brown and McGuane.

21:38 , Marc Mayo

81 mins: Nearly four!

Smith Rowe stabs an effort at goal on a swift move and Anderson’s block sees the ball dribble wide.

Arsenal bring on White and Marquinhos for Vieira and Tomiyasu.

21:36 , Marc Mayo

79 mins: Oxford bring O’Donkor and Goodrham on for Taylor and Bodin up front as they chase a consolation.

GGGOOOOAAALLL!!! Oxford 0-3 Arsenal

21:32 , Marc Mayo

76 mins: Nketiah at the double!

Martinelli plays in the striker who delightfully dinks the ball over McGinty. That must be that!

21:30 , Marc Mayo

73 mins: A bit of a worry for Arsenal as Saka is on the turf as Oxford prepare to take a corner.

That will be that for Saka as Smith Rowe makes his return from injury in his place.

Simon Collings at Kassam Stadium

21:29 , Marc Mayo

Vieira finally come to life in this game. No doubt Arteta was into him at half-time. Looks a different player.

GGGOOOOAAALLL!!! Oxford 0-2 Arsenal

21:27 , Marc Mayo

70 mins: Nketiah strolls around the goalkeeper and applies the finish!

Another fine ball from Vieira for his second assist of the night and the Gunners are almost assured of a place in the fourth round.

Simon Collings at Kassam Stadium

21:25 , Marc Mayo

Elneny being serenaded by the Arsenal fans. A scrappy goal to sum up a scrappy game.

21:22 , Marc Mayo

65 mins: Oxford look for an instant riposte but Wildschut can’t fire off anything convincing from two bites of the cherry inside the box.

GGGOOOOAAALLLL!!!! Oxford 0-1 Arsenal

21:20 , Marc Mayo

63 mins: Elneny with a bullet header!!

Martinelli teases a foul out of Anderson and Vieira’s cross is superb, landing square on the Egyptian’s head for a powerful finish.

Arsenal substitutions

21:17 , Marc Mayo

60 mins: Arsenal substitutions as Lokonga and Tierney come off for Xhaka and Zinchenko.

Oxford bring Murphy off for Wildschut.

21:15 , Marc Mayo

58 mins: Oxford threatening now as first Brown’s long throw then wicked cross from the left demand some fine defensive clearances.

The left-back is then booked for sending Nketiah to the ground.

21:13 , Marc Mayo

55 mins: Something building for Arsenal with a fresh spell of corners and Saka almost catches McGinty out direct with a near-post delivery, which has the goalkeeper scrambling to parry away!

21:11 , Marc Mayo

54 mins: Saka checks inside from the byline and drives a shot-cross which Bate turns behind for a corner.

21:10 , Marc Mayo

52 mins: Arsenal want a free-kick as Long sends Nketiah to the ground on the touchline but nothing doing.

Oxford come forward and another ball into the box draws some hectic defending as Tomiyasu gets clear.

21:05 , Marc Mayo

48 mins: A start to this half very similar to the end of the last one.

Arsenal broadly on top but it’s all a bit slow and safe.

Oxford nab the ball and Taylor is played in behind... Turner comes off his line well to save!

Kick-off!

21:02 , Marc Mayo

No changes at the break and we get going with Oxford and Arsenal all square at 0-0!

21:01 , Marc Mayo

Arsenal sent out early for the second half after what was surely a dressing down by Mikel Arteta.

A view is a view!

20:57 , Marc Mayo

Stats check

20:52 , Marc Mayo

Two shots each with zero on target in that half - kind of sums it up, really!

Arsenal ahead with 65 per cent in the possession stakes, with three corners to none.

Simon Collings at Kassam Stadium

20:49 , Marc Mayo

Wouldn’t shock me if Arteta makes a few changes at half-time here. That was turgid stuff and he won’t want a replay.

Half time! Oxford 0-0 Arsenal

20:46 , Marc Mayo

The U’s deservedly level at the break!

20:45 , Marc Mayo

45 mins: We have one minute of added-on time as Elneny, for the second time tonight, tries to take a free kick several yards ahead of the linesman’s offside flag.

20:44 , Marc Mayo

44 mins: Oxford have the chance to rocket in a long throw now as Brown trots over to the right flank and winds up...

A strong header from Gabriel gets the ball clear.

Chance Arsenal!

20:43 , Marc Mayo

42 mins: Tierney loads the box with a long throw and a touch sends it towards Nketiah, who has to poke an instictive foot at it from five yards out but scoops a shot over.

The chance of the (incredibly limited) half.

20:42 , Marc Mayo

41 mins: Martinelli shows a rapid turn of pace after nicking the ball off Anderson to start a counter.

The Dutch right-back has looked pretty nifty on the ball today and shows his defensive ability with a fine slide tackle in the box.

20:38 , Marc Mayo

38 mins: A real lack of end product at both ends as Oxford get into a dangerous position before their attack fizzles out.

Arsenal make a move of their own until Tierney cannons a cross high behind the goal - cue ironic cheers.

Penalty appeal!

20:35 , Marc Mayo

35 mins: Tierney takes charge with a smart crossfield run before Tomiyasu’s cross is weak.

Arsenal come again and Lokonga’s shot hits Moore’s arm as he falls to block the shot.

They want a penalty... David Coote says no! And there’s no VAR!

20:33 , Marc Mayo

33 mins: This has all the makings of a scrappy Arsenal win or, let’s face it, a shock result.

20:30 , Marc Mayo

30 mins: Another Arsenal attack fades away with a poor pass from Tomiyasu. The Gunners still yet to have a shot on goal.

20:27 , Marc Mayo

27 mins: Smart footwork from Nketiah tees up Saka down the right but Brown is hot on his case and blocks the cross.

20:25 , Marc Mayo

25 mins: Saka comes off second best in a battle with Brown and has stayed down...

A painful one for the Arsenal winger as he kicked through his opponent’s boot. He’ll play on.

20:24 , Marc Mayo

24 mins: Brannagan pumps in the first shot of the night after Arsenal give the ball away, a good block keeping it away from Turner.

Simon Collings at Kassam Stadium

20:23 , Marc Mayo

All still pretty turgid. Arsenal win a foul and Arteta uses the time to bellow across the pitch at Martinelli. I think he is telling him to make the pitch wide and stretch the game.

20:22 , Marc Mayo

22 mins: Arsenal come out second best from a spell of 50-50s, the Premier League leaders just napping a little bit.

A quarter of the game gone, no shots for either side.

20:19 , Marc Mayo

19 mins: Saka’s through ball in behind for Nketiah to chase is misguided and the Oxford keeper jumps on it.

20:15 , Marc Mayo

15 mins: Chants of “boring, boring Arsenal” off the home end but it’s Oxford happy to sit on the ball and calm things down.

A lack of fireworks in these first 15 minutes.

Tomiyasu tries to light the touch paper with a run down the right yet McGinty snatches his low cross.

20:13 , Marc Mayo

13 mins: A bit of consistent pressure from Arsenal now and a Tierney long throw causes just a bit of panic before being cleared.

20:11 , Marc Mayo

11 mins: A run of corners to allow Arsenal a chance to assert some authority.

Brown delivers two solid headers clear.

Simon Collings at Kassam Stadium

20:09 , Marc Mayo

Arsenal not really got going so far. Everything is just bypassing the midfield and going long to the front-three. The midfield need to start showing for the ball off the defence.

20:08 , Marc Mayo

8 mins: Saka tangles with Brown as he steals the ball and heads into the box but the flag is up - a perhaps harsh foul shuts down the attack.

20:06 , Marc Mayo

6 mins: A very decent atmosphere generated by the U’s faithful early on and they are just about on top on the pitch, too.

20:04 , Marc Mayo

4 mins: Saka is the next to lose the ball and an Oxford pass hits the referee, allowing them to advance courtesy of a drop ball.

20:03 , Marc Mayo

2 mins: As Karl Robinson said pre-game, his side will play their natural style and keep possession whenever they can.

It will be interesting to see if that will help Arsenal or not.

But it’s the Gunners who give it away early on and McGuane nearly nicks in!

Kick-off!

20:00 , Marc Mayo

Oxford get the ball rolling in their bid to cause a huge FA Cup upset!

19:59 , Marc Mayo

Rob Holding captaining the Gunners tonight and he takes part in the pre-game coin toss with Oxford skipper Elliott Moore and referee David Coote.

Here come the players!

19:56 , Marc Mayo

A strong away of famous faces here supporting Oxford and Arsenal - David Platt, Timmy Mallett, AP McCoy...

A packed house welcomes the two teams to the pitch.

Simon Collings at Kassam Stadium

19:53 , Marc Mayo

The pitch here is getting a heavy watering before kick-off. It doesn’t look too bad a surface, but I’m intrigued to see how it holds up as the game goes on.

Fourth-round draw

19:50 , Marc Mayo

A reminder that the winner of tonight’s tie will face Manchester City away from home in round four.

The Gunners downed City in the 2019-20 semi-finals while Oxford lost to them in the Carabao Cup in both 2018 and 2019.

Mikel Arteta talks to Ian Wright ahead of kick-off

19:44 , Marc Mayo

“We have tried to explain how important this competition is for the club and we need to show that today.

“[Fabio Vieira is a] huge talent, it took him a while to get set, he came from Portugal with a big injury hopefully he can show what he can do.

“Hopefully we can give [Emile Smith Rowe] a chance today. He’s in a good moment mentally and he’s desperate to play.”

Changed kit for Arsenal tonight.

19:41 , Marc Mayo

The No More Red Campaign will get another airing tonight.

Find out all the details here!

Oxford boss Karl Robinson previews the game

19:36 , Marc Mayo

“We play in a certain way, we like to dominate possession. I don’t know if that’s something we’ll be able to do that tonight! No [we won’t compromise]. We’ll let these players be the best version of themselves regardless of the opposition.”

Countdown to kick-off

19:32 , Marc Mayo

The warm-ups are underway in Oxford.

Big things expected of Fabio Vieira

19:27 , Marc Mayo

A great chance for the Portuguese playmaker to make his mark tonight and Mikel Arteta has been discussing the summer signing ahead of the game.

“He is in a much better place,” said Arteta. “I think physically he has reached the level now where he can compete at the standards that we want.

“His understanding of what we want to do is much, much better and now it is my role to give him the right minutes in the right position, in the right environment, to fulfil his potential. But I am really happy with him.”

Read the full story!

Simon Collings at Kassam Stadium

19:22 , Marc Mayo

Arsenal swap out seven players

19:17 , Marc Mayo

Only Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli are kept in the line-up from Arsenal’s draw with Newcastle.

Emile Smith Rowe is fit for the bench.

Two changes for Oxford

19:13 , Marc Mayo

Tyler Goodrham and Yanic Wildschut drop out for the U’s as Billy Bodin and Josh Murphy step into the attack.

No real surprise Oxford make changes up front from a 1-0 defeat to Exeter that saw them fail to score with 20 shots, only five of which were on target.

How Arsenal line up

19:07 , Marc Mayo

Arsenal XI: Turner; Tomiyasu, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Vieira, Elneny, Lokonga; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.

Subs: Hein, White, Zinchenko, Xhaka, Partey, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Marquinhos, Butler-Oyedeji.

No Arsenal team news just yet

19:05 , Marc Mayo

We’ll let you know when we have it..!

How Oxford line up tonight

19:03 , Marc Mayo

Oxford XI: McGinty; Anderson, Long, Moore, Brown; McGuane, Bate, Brannagan; Bodin, Taylor, Murphy.

Subs: Eastwood, Fleming, Findlay, Johnson, Goodrham, Negru, Wildschut, Sade, O’Donkor.

Throwback

18:55 , Marc Mayo

You have to go back 20 years for these sides’ last meeting...

The Gunners are in the house

18:50 , Marc Mayo

Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Ben White all there as they enter the stadium.

Smith Rowe must ‘jump on the train'

18:45 , Marc Mayo

Mikel Arteta has laid down a challenge for Emile Smith Rowe on his return from injury.

“[Smith Rowe] knows that he has the space in the squad to fulfil his potential,” said Arteta. “We really like him, I really like him, and he is a very important player for us.

“He knows that now he needs to jump on the train fast enough to have the impact that we all hope that he can have this season.”

Read the full story!

David Seaman praying Arsenal dodge this banana skin

18:40 , Marc Mayo

Simon Collings at Kassam Stadium

18:35 , Marc Mayo

Our man at the ground will be firing in expert analysis plus player ratings - unless someone bonks his car with a wayward shot...

Team news coming up...

18:31 , Marc Mayo

Will Emile Smith Rowe make the Arsenal squad? Stay tuned...

The scene is set!

18:25 , Marc Mayo

Match odds

18:20 , Marc Mayo

Oxford: 14/1

Draw: 13/2

Arsenal: 2/13

Odds via Betfair (Subject to change).

Head-to-head record

18:13 , Marc Mayo

Oxford’s only wins against Arsenal came between 1984 and 1986. Golden era.

Oxford wins: 2

Draws: 3

Arsenal wins: 4

Evening Standard score prediction

18:08 , Marc Mayo

It’s difficult to imagine an Oxford side struggling for consistent form in League One posing the Premier League leaders all too much of a threat.

Arsenal to win, 3-0.

18:03 , Marc Mayo

Predicted Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Turner; Tomiyasu, Saliba, Holding, Tierney; Vieira, Elneny, Lokonga; Marquinhos, Nketiah, Martinelli.

Early Arsenal team news

17:56 , Marc Mayo

Emile Smith Rowe is in contention to feature for Arsenal for the first time since September as the England international faces a late fitness test, having recovered from groin surgery.

Matt Turner, Kieran Tierney, Rob Holding and Takehiro Tomiyasu are also expected to start, while Marquinhos, Fabio Vieira, Mohamed Elneny and Albert Sambi Lokonga could feature.

Star striker Gabriel Jesus is still sidelined for the Gunners along with Reiss Nelson.

Early Oxford team news

17:49 , Marc Mayo

The U’s do not have any fresh injury concerns and do have a recent track record in pulling off cup upsets.

Former Liverpool youngster Cameron Brannagan is a threat, having scored six goals from midfield this season while striker Matty Taylor offers more firepower.

How to watch

17:44 , Marc Mayo

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be broadcast live and free-to-air on ITV, with coverage beginning at 7:30pm GMT ahead of an 8pm kick-off.

Live stream: You can also watch proceedings live online via the ITVX app and ITV website.

Hello and welcome!

17:40 , Marc Mayo

What a treat we have for you tonight with the final game of the FA Cup third round taking place between Oxford and Arsenal.

The Premier League leaders will hope to boost their trophy chances with a run deep into a competition they have a great affinity with.

But the League One side will know that a huge cup upset, or a replay at the Emirates Stadium, is only 90 minutes away once the game gets underway at 8pm GMT from the Kassam Stadium.