Mikel Arteta Corrected Long-Standing Regret in the 87th Minute vs Wigan Athletic
Arsenal's 4-0 demolition of Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup Fourth Round on February 15, 2026, had all the hallmarks of a routine cup night at the Emirates. But hidden within the final minutes of the match was a deeply personal moment for Mikel Arteta — the Arsenal manager finally corrected a long-standing regret he had carried since 2023, courtesy of an 87th-minute goalkeeper substitution that quietly brought the house down.
Arsenal's evening was defined by a breathtaking first half that left League One visitors Wigan Athletic shellshocked and outclassed. Four goals in under 30 minutes — from Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and a Jack Hunt own goal — all but ended the contest before halftime. Yet it was a quiet, understated moment in the match's dying stages, when 19-year-old goalkeeper Tommy Setford walked onto the Emirates pitch to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga, that would carry the most personal weight for the man in the Arsenal technical area.
Match Summary — Arsenal 4-0 Wigan Athletic · FA Cup Fourth Round
The Regret Arteta Has Carried Since 2023
To fully appreciate what the 87th minute meant on Sunday evening, you need to rewind to September 2023. After Arsenal's 1-0 Premier League win at Goodison Park, Arteta sat before the assembled media and made a surprisingly candid personal confession. He revealed that on two separate occasions during his managerial career at Arsenal, he had felt a strong impulse to substitute his goalkeeper somewhere between the 60th and 85th minute — and on both occasions, he simply lacked the courage to follow through.
"I'm a really young manager. I've only had three and a half years in the job, and I have a few regrets. One of them was that on two occasions, I felt, after 60 minutes to 85 minutes, in two games, to change the keeper in that moment, and I didn't do it. I didn't have the courage to do it."
— Mikel Arteta, September 2023 press conference
At the time, Arteta's admission was noted as a fascinating glimpse into a manager's inner world — an honest account of the moments of hesitation that come with the job. For over two years, however, no circumstance had presented itself to allow Arteta to act differently. Until Sunday against Wigan. With the Gunners 4-0 up and the match long decided, Arteta made the call. Kepa was withdrawn, Setford came on, and a two-year-old regret was finally put to bed.
Tommy Setford's Moment in the Spotlight
For Tommy Setford, Sunday marked his first competitive appearance at the Emirates Stadium. The 19-year-old goalkeeper, who joined Arsenal from Ajax and has built a strong reputation inside the club for his attitude, professionalism, and technical quality, walked onto the Emirates turf to a generous reception from the home supporters. Those three minutes represented a great deal — his home debut in Arsenal colours, a reward for the dedication he shows in training every single day.
"I think everybody has to feel that they have a chance. And if there are players, one of them would be Tommy — for his attitude and the way he helps everybody every single day. So if we have a chance to play him in some minutes, we have to try to do it."
— Mikel Arteta, post-match press conference vs Wigan
Arteta's decision was simultaneously an act of personal resolution and a warm human gesture towards a player who deserved to feel included. It told the story of a manager growing — learning to be bolder, to act on his instincts, to follow through on the things he believes are right. For Setford, it was three minutes on a pitch. For Arteta, it was the closing of a loop that had been open for more than two years.
Who is Tommy Setford? The 19-year-old goalkeeper joined Arsenal from Dutch giants Ajax and has quickly earned widespread praise from the club's coaching staff for his technical quality, commanding presence, and exceptional day-to-day attitude. Sunday's appearance against Wigan marked his first competitive minutes at the Emirates Stadium — a debut he will carry with him throughout his career.
Saka's New Role Sends Social Media Into a Frenzy
While Arteta's late goalkeeping change provided the most personal subplot of the evening, it was far from the only story to emerge from Arsenal's convincing FA Cup victory. A tactical experiment forced upon the manager by a pre-match injury has since set English football buzzing: Bukayo Saka playing in a central number 10 role, and doing so brilliantly.
Saka had been named among the substitutes for Sunday's fixture as Arteta managed his workload across multiple competitions. However, Riccardo Calafiori picked up a muscle problem in the warm-up, forcing Arteta to completely reshape his planned starting eleven. Rather than simply inserting Saka into his familiar wide right berth, Arteta chose to experiment — deploying the England international as the team's central creator, with Noni Madueke occupying the right flank instead.
The results were electric. Given the freedom of a more central role, Saka linked brilliantly with those around him, completed 25 of his 26 passes, drew three fouls through his clever positioning, and contributed tellingly to the build-up for Arsenal's goals. His highlight reel from the opening half — featuring his movement, his cutback for the third goal, and his inventive interplay with Madueke — has since gone viral across football's social media communities, with thousands of supporters asking the same question: could this become a regular arrangement?
"It's interesting because Saka has played in the Odegaard role. Obviously a last-minute change, and it's really opened him up. It's been good for his confidence. He's playing with freedom."
— Martin Keown, TNT Sports, half-time analysis
Arteta Hints the Saka Experiment Could Continue
When pressed about whether the central Saka role could become a permanent fixture, Arteta did not dismiss the idea. With Martin Odegaard sidelined with a knee problem and Eberechi Eze having gone through spells of inconsistency during 2025/26, there is a genuine tactical argument for exploring alternatives — and Sunday's display provided compelling early evidence that Saka in the middle could be a genuine weapon.
"Yeah, 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."
— Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka's central role
Arteta elaborated on why the position suits Saka so effectively: it places him closer to goal, makes it harder for defenders to track his movements, and allows him to interchange freely with the wide player in ways that consistently keep defences off balance. With Madueke providing quality and directness on the right flank, Arsenal now appear to have a system that accommodates both players simultaneously — something that would have seemed far-fetched just a few months ago.
Injury Concerns Cloud an Otherwise Positive Evening
Despite the victory and the wave of positive tactical headlines, Sunday's FA Cup win arrived with fresh injury worries that have added to an already troubling casualty list. Calafiori's warm-up withdrawal was a blow in itself, but matters grew worse during the second half when Ben White was substituted with an apparent physical complaint. Arteta confirmed that both players remain doubts for Arsenal's Premier League encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday.
"Yes. Before it was the strikers, then it was the defenders, and now it is the midfielders getting injured. We are coping with that. But we need some players back and fit — not only for numbers, but for different options in relation to the opponents we have."
— Mikel Arteta on Arsenal's mounting injury crisis
Mikel Merino remains sidelined for the season, Kai Havertz faces another month on the treatment table, and Martin Odegaard was absent from Sunday's squad with a knee knock. The good news is that Ben White took to Instagram post-match with an encouraging message — "Next round, no injuries" — suggesting his substitution may have been precautionary. The club will monitor both White and Calafiori over the next 48 hours ahead of the Wolves clash.
Eze Shines as Nwaneri Debate Continues
Eberechi Eze provided two assists against Wigan and produced one of his strongest performances since joining Arsenal from Crystal Palace in the summer. Playing alongside Saka in a fluid double-creator system, Eze impressed with his ambition, his willingness to take risks in the final third, and the quality of his delivery. Arteta was fulsome in his post-match praise for the midfielder, highlighting the importance of such performances for a creative player's confidence and momentum.
Eze's impressive showing arrived against the backdrop of continuing debate surrounding Ethan Nwaneri's loan at Marseille. With Merino, Havertz and Odegaard all absent, several observers have questioned whether Arsenal made an error in sending the 18-year-old away on a temporary basis without a recall clause. Arteta firmly dismissed this argument, insisting the decision was correct based on the information available at the time, and that no one could have anticipated the scale of the injury crisis that has since unfolded.
Nwaneri has made a strong impression in Ligue 1, scoring on his debut against Lens and looking sharp in subsequent outings. While the departure of Roberto De Zerbi from Marseille introduced uncertainty into his loan spell, Arteta expressed confidence that the environment remains positive for the teenager's development regardless of who is in the dugout at the Stade Vélodrome.
Arsenal's Quadruple Dream Stays Alive
The 4-0 win over Wigan advances Arsenal to the FA Cup Fifth Round and keeps alive one of the most extraordinary multi-competition campaigns in English football history. The Gunners lead the Premier League by four points, are into the Carabao Cup final, remain active in the Champions League knockouts, and have now reached the last 16 of the FA Cup. An English quadruple has never been achieved, but Arsenal have placed themselves firmly in the conversation.
Managing four competitions simultaneously — with a squad thinned by injuries and a relentless fixture schedule — represents the central challenge of Arteta's Arsenal tenure. Sunday's display, for all its caveats regarding the standard of opposition, demonstrated the resilience and collective depth of a group that refuses to be deflated by circumstance. Christian Norgaard was outstanding in midfield, Eze rediscovered his best form, and Saka delivered a performance that has opened an entirely new tactical door for his manager.
Arsenal Quadruple Watch 2025/26: The Gunners are currently competing across all four major trophies — the Premier League (4 points clear at the top), the Carabao Cup (finalists), the FA Cup (Fifth Round), and the Champions League (knockout stage). This season could become the most significant in the club's modern history.
What the 87th Minute Really Meant
Football rarely offers managers clean, uncomplicated moments of personal resolution. For Mikel Arteta, the 87th minute against Wigan Athletic was exactly that. A young goalkeeper received his home debut. A stadium rose in warmth. And a manager who once confessed, in front of the world's press, that he had lacked the courage to make a particular type of substitution, proved quietly to himself that he had grown past that hesitation.
Arteta has always described his Arsenal journey as one of constant evolution — of becoming braver, more decisive, more willing to trust his instincts and act on his convictions. The Setford substitution was a small but symbolically important expression of that growth. It was one regret finally corrected, one long-held hesitation overcome, one moment of managerial honesty given its deserved resolution in front of a full house at the Emirates.
As Arsenal look towards Wednesday's Premier League test against Wolves and await the FA Cup Fifth Round draw, there is much still to play for on all fronts. But for one evening in north London, in the 87th minute of a comfortable cup win over Wigan Athletic, Mikel Arteta allowed himself a small, private moment of satisfaction. Two years in the making. Three minutes on the pitch. One long-standing regret, finally corrected.
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