Oliver Reiss and his youngsters began 2026 with a difficult test in the Gunners, who we welcomed to the Joie Stadium for our fourth round match-up.
After a tense opening, which saw City continue to grow in stature as time went on, we finally found the breakthrough on 27 minutes.
Skipper Kaden Braithwaite placed his free-kick into the bottom right corner to give City a deserved lead.
Dante Headley made a vital goal-line clearance to deny Arsenal an almost instant equaliser before City quickly took a four-goal lead.
Match report | City 5-2 Arsenal
Tyrone Samba fired in our second with Christian Dunbar-McDonald making it three.
T. Samba added a fourth, but City would lose our clean sheet just before the break after Ceadach O’Neill converted from the penalty spot.
The second half was a more tame affair. City dominated possession and made it near impossible for Arsenal to find a way back into the game.
Brando Bailey-Joseph’s goal for the Gunners on 85 minutes would also prove to be just a consolation, with 15-year-old Xavier Parker restoring our three-goal lead to top off a fantastic FA Youth Cup outing.
Watch our highlights from our FA Youth Cup triumph via the video above...
