Sokratis, Eddie Nketiah Fire Arsenal Past Portsmouth in 2020 FA Cup 5th Round

Arsenal are the first team into the quarter-finals of the 2019-20 FA Cup after they battled to a 2-0 win over Portsmouth on Monday.  

There was little to separate the first- and third-tier sides in the opening half, although the Gunners were able to find a breakthrough in added time before the interval after Sokratis Papastathopoulos connected with a sweet volley.

Following the opener, Arsenal took control. Eddie Nketiah was able to quickly double the team's advantage after the restart, poking home after the Pompey defence failed to clear their lines.

The remaining seven FA Cup fifth-round ties will be played this week, with the quarter-final matches scheduled for the weekend of March 21.

The atmosphere was raucous from the off at Fratton Park, and it was no surprise to see the home side respond in turn with a determined start.

Although they were unable to carve out many openings, Portsmouth were unsettling the Arsenal defence and clattered into some fierce tackles too. Lucas Torreira was on the end of one and the Uruguayan midfielder was unable to continue, with Dani Ceballos brought on to replace him.

Per James Olley of the Evening Standard, despite the clear distress of the Arsenal man, he received little sympathy from the Portsmouth fans: 

In general, Arsenal were unable to produce much quality in the final third, with their approach play sluggish and one-dimensional. Their frustration was summed up when Matteo Guendouzi picked up a yellow card for this act of petulance: 

However, before the interval, they were able to finally pin their hosts back and make their superior quality count.

Reiss Nelson fizzed a dangerous ball into the penalty area that Sokratis thudded home a thumping volley in front of the travelling fans: 

After falling behind so close to half-time, it was no surprise that Portsmouth lacked the same intensity in their play in the second period, and Arsenal were on hand to capitalise.

Nelson again was the provider, putting in another dangerous cross from the right flank. The Portsmouth defenders were unable to clear the ball, and Nketiah was on hand to prod home from close range: 

Per The Arsenal Review, since he returned to the Gunners following a loan spell with Championship club Leeds United earlier in the season, the young forward has excelled: 

Having finally silenced the Fratton Park crowd, Arsenal took control of possession in the second half and quickly sapped any lingering belief the underdogs had. 

In the end, instead of piling forward in search of more goals, Arteta's team conserved energy and kept the ball. The Gunners boss would have eventually been pleased with how his team dealt with what had the potential to be a challenging evening on the south coast.

What's Next?

The Gunners' focus will turn to the Premier League again this weekend, with London rivals West Ham United the visitors to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Portsmouth will be seeking to continue their promotion push in League One when they visit Peterborough United.