5 key highlights from Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the FA Cup

4. Nicolas Pepe is in great form

Nicolas Pepe was substituted in the 90th minute just after Dani Ceballos secured the lead for the Gunners, another goal which the Ivory Coast international was involved in as he shielded the ball on the counter-attack to put Ceballos through.

It may have been “just” a penalty, but Pepe converted it with aplomb and the coolness of his celebration proved that he wasn’t fazed by the responsibility. He has now scored two goals since the restart and his first in the FA Cup competition. Fans are beginning to see more end product from the winger, and it’s excellent to see.

3. Two offside goals by Sheffield United

In the first half, Sheffield United failed to have a shot on target but this wasn’t the whole tale. The Gunners defence was incredibly shaky in that first half and they seemed to leave themselves exposed, with Sheffield even scoring a goal early on, albeit ruled out for offside.

The tale continued into the second half as the Blades put the ball in the net for what looked like the equaliser, although the linesman rightfully called it offside. So, one VAR decided overturn and another was man-made, but one thing’s for sure, the technology hasn’t been kind to Chris Wilder’s men since the restart.

At least this time we can say it was fair, and Sheffield fans can have zero complaints from the use of VAR.