England Women’s World Cup Qualifying Live
England are currently competing against Iceland at the City Ground in Nottingham as part of the Women’s World Cup qualifying matches. The game is being broadcast live.
Other fixtures scheduled for the day include:
- Newcastle vs Manchester City at 8pm
- Port Vale vs Sunderland at 1.30pm
Liverpool have already secured their place in the quarter-finals following their recent victory. West Ham will host Brentford on Monday night following the draw.
Half-time: Mansfield 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal have delivered an excellent first-half performance, earning applause from their supporters at the break. Noni Madueke’s remarkable goal, a display of skill on a challenging pitch, is the only difference as the teams head to the tunnel.
45+2 min: Mansfield had the final opportunity of the half with McLaughlin delivering a cross for Akins, whose header went over the bar, slightly influenced by Hincapié’s defensive pressure.
45 min: Dowman found space in midfield and passed towards Jesus, but Oshilaja intercepted. After some tense moments, he cleared the ball safely.
43 min: Arsenal must maintain their focus until half-time. Madueke threatened again inside the box but missed his shot wide. Arsenal fans sang about Wembley.
Goal! Mansfield 0-1 Arsenal (Madueke 41)
Relief for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal as Madueke’s initial shot was saved by Roberts. Martinelli collected the ball and passed it back to Madueke, who scored with a left-footed shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.
40 min: Hincapié’s first involvement was a turnover, struggling to keep up with Reed. The substitute conceded a corner, which was cleared by Madueke.
38 min: Trossard sustained an injury and was substituted by Piero Hincapié. It is anticipated that Arteta will switch to a back four formation.
36 min: Howard noted that the ground staff may have used a light roller on the pitch, which could affect play later. The pitch has not significantly impacted the game so far, but Trossard’s injury is a concern.
34 min: Oates performed well, advancing past Calafiori and entering the box. His cross was comfortably held by Kepa.
32 min: Madueke missed a shot with his weaker foot, eliciting cheers from the Arsenal fans. Arsenal have appeared more threatening in recent minutes.
30 min: Dowman had a chance after Trossard’s assist but his shot was saved by Roberts. The young player has yet to score for the first team.
28 min: Arsenal hit the post following a Madueke corner. The ball deflected off Roberts’ glove and the woodwork prevented a goal.
26 min: Martinelli’s shot was saved by Roberts, who then fumbled the ball out for a corner. The referee stopped play for a possible foul near the box.
24 min: Patrick commented on the physical nature of the game, noting that many Mansfield players are still adapting to their formation. Dowman shot over the bar.
22 min: Reed offered a hand to Havertz after a foul, which was ignored. The visitors are not dominating the match.
20 min: Arsenal attempted a complex move in the box involving Madueke and Jesus. Trossard’s shot was blocked. Mansfield counterattacked with Oates, who was eventually crowded out near Kepa’s area.
18 min: Another chance for Mansfield as McLaughlin crossed from the left. Oates volleyed wide. Arsenal’s Havertz failed to control a long ball from Kepa.
16 min: Trossard’s misplaced pass drew ironic cheers. Kepa attempted a direct pass to Jesus, but Oshilaja intercepted.
14 min: Roberts attempted a long-range shot that narrowly missed the far post.
12 min: Arsenal failed to clear properly, allowing Reed to shoot, which Kepa saved. Oates’ deflected shot went just wide. The resulting corner caused confusion but was cleared.
11 min: VAR was involved after Roberts saved a shot from Trossard, but an offside flag against Jesus stopped the move.
10 min: Blake-Tracey intercepted a pass intended for Jesus. Tyler Roberts attempted a lob over Kepa, which was unsuccessful but well-received by the home crowd.
8 min: The pitch is uneven in midfield but more playable on the wings. Madueke and Dowman are pressing on Arsenal’s right, while McLaughlin is active on the left wing-back position.
6 min: Dowman impressed by winning a corner after evading defenders. Arsenal took a short corner, and Mosquera’s shot went over the bar. Trossard’s corner was eventually cleared by Mansfield.
4 min: Arsenal had a significant chance after winning possession high up the pitch, but Dowman was denied by Roberts.
2 min: Early runs down the byline by McLaughlin and Tyler Roberts set the tone for the match.
Pre-match Thoughts and Team News
Charles Antaki shared his expectations via email:
"Look, Arsenal fans don’t want much here – a relaxed, happy cup-tie day, with the club doing slightly patronising old-school honours to the home team, then a couple of early goals from elegant open play, another one early in the second half, perhaps allow the home team a screamer from the halfway line to regenerate interest, finish off 1-5. A sporting game throughout, handshakes and claps on the back at the end, and everyone goes home tired but happy. As I say, it’s not much to ask."
Captains Louis Reed and Gabriel Jesus led the teams out. Kick-off was imminent.
At the One Call Stadium, the atmosphere was charged as the match approached.
Arsenal have attracted criticism for their style of play this season, including reliance on set pieces, time-wasting, and tactical fouling, traits more commonly associated with underdogs. Despite this, manager Mikel Arteta’s approach has been successful.
David Hytner noted: "There is something else at play, a narrative that picked up further steam as Arsenal won at Brighton on Wednesday. The club have a target on their back, partly because of their dominance in every competition thus far, partly because of how they have achieved it. Everyone seems to be firing at it."
Mansfield have not reached the fifth round for 51 years, last doing so when they were defeated by Carlisle. Their best FA Cup run was in 1969, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to Leicester. That year, they famously defeated Bobby Moore’s West Ham 3-0 in the fifth round, a proud moment in the club’s history.
Mansfield’s FA Cup journey this season includes:
- First round: 3-2 victory over Harrogate (home)
- Second round: 2-2 draw and 3-1 win on penalties against Accrington (away)
- Third round: 4-3 victory over Sheffield United (away)
- Fourth round: 2-1 victory over Burnley (away)
Manager Nigel Clough commented before kick-off: "Arsenal are slightly technically better than us. We’ll try and play our normal game. When we can, we get the ball down and play. It’s difficult on a surface like this …"
The Field Mill pitch appeared patchy, with hopes for rain to improve conditions.
Nigel Clough, son of Brian Clough, spoke this week about his father, his therapy dog Bobbie, and facing the Premier League leaders today:
"We can watch Arsenal for their last 10 games. It would just frighten the life out of us. We’ll do some rudimentary work on corners. We know roughly how they’re going to come in, whatever their personnel. But if top Premier League teams can’t deal with them, I don’t know how a bottom-half League One side is meant to. I don’t want the players worrying unduly. There’s only one ball coming in at any one time. Deal with it."
Team Lineups
Starting lineups for the match at Field Mill were as follows:
Mansfield (3-4-1-2): L Roberts; Knoyle, Oshilaja, Blake-Tracey; Akins, Abbott, Reed, McLaughlin; Russell; T Roberts, Oates.
Subs: H Lewis, Hewitt, Bowery, A Lewis, Moriah-Welsh, Hendry, Irow, Adeboyejo, Evans
Mikel Arteta named six forwards in his starting eleven, with the formation to be confirmed during the game:
Arsenal (4-3-3): Arrizabalaga; Salmon, Nørgaard, Mosquera, Calafiori; Dowman, Havertz, Trossard; Madueke, Jesus, Martinelli
Subs: Setford, Hincapié, Saka, Eze, Timber, Gyökeres, Dixon, Harriman-Annous, Ibrahim
There were first senior starts for 16-year-olds Marli Salmon and Max Dowman.
Match Preview
Welcome to Saturday’s early kick-off in the FA Cup fifth round, featuring an intriguing tie between Mansfield Town and Arsenal. Arsenal are pursuing a quadruple this season, but any slip could jeopardize their ambitions. A defeat to third-tier Mansfield would be a significant FA Cup upset.
Arsenal visit the One Call Stadium, also known as Field Mill, having already eliminated two lower-league teams this season: Portsmouth and Wigan. The hope is that they avoid conceding multiple early goals as Wigan did in the previous round. The pitch is expected to be a leveller, but Arsenal’s aerial strength could be advantageous.
Mansfield, currently 16th in League One, do not have the same Cup pedigree as Portsmouth or Wigan but aim to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1969, when Nigel Clough’s father managed Derby County.
Kick-off was scheduled for 12.15pm GMT. Fans were encouraged to share their favorite Cup memories via email.
