Madueke says Arsenal fans should be excited by quadruple hunt

Noni Madueke feels Arsenal's fans have every right to be excited about the rest of the season after they kept their quadruple hopes alive with a 4-0 FA Cup rout of Wigan Athletic.

Madueke opened the scoring as Arsenal raced into a four-goal lead within 27 minutes on Sunday, becoming the first Premier League team to score four goals in the first half-hour of an FA Cup tie.

Having side-footed home after being released by Eberechi Eze's pass, Madueke saw Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus join him on the scoresheet, while Wigan's Jack Hunt put through his own net.

Madueke now has two goals and three assists across his last seven FA Cup matches, and he has scored in back-to-back games in all competitions for the first time since January 2025 for Chelsea, having also netted in Thursday's Premier League draw with Brentford.

Seven of his last nine club strikes have now come in cup competitions, with three in the Champions League, three in the Conference League and one in the FA Cup.

Mikel Arteta's side are still in contention to win all four major trophies available to them in 2025-26, and when asked if supporters should get excited, Madueke told TNT Sports: "I think they have every right to be. 

"We are working hard to try and deliver the level that we should be with our performances right now. 

"That is our main focus, and I think it is exciting, but we need to carry on doing the right things every single day."

Having also teed up Martinelli, Eze became the first Arsenal player to assist two goals in a FA Cup game at the Emirates Stadium since Hector Bellerin against Sunderland in January 2016.

Eze came in for criticism following his performance against Brentford last time out, but Madueke was pleased to see his team-mate issue a reminder of his quality.

"He was unbelievable today," Madueke said of Eze. "He pulled all the strings from the middle and had a hand in all the goals. I'm really pleased for him."

Wigan, meanwhile, can now turn their attentions back to the League One relegation battle, with the club hoping to appoint a new manager in the coming days after sacking Ryan Lowe last week.

Caretaker boss Graham Barrow was pleased by the way they responded in the second half, telling TNT Sports: "We recovered, that was the main thing. They've got two teams really within their squad.

"We are disappointed with the goals we conceded, but to dig in like we did to stop that... I thought the players did excellently in the second half. They gave everything they've got.

"Arsenal were relentless. I am really pleased for the players as it has been a tough time. There have been positives and the players stuck together, that is the main thing.

"We take from this the spirit and the fact we tried something at 4-0 down, going to a back four, and it worked. I think we have enough to stay up, that is the main thing."