The sight of Premier League leaders Arsenal triumphantly trudging from the muddy One Call Stadium pitch on Saturday left Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough with a "nagging feeling" of regret of an FA Cup upset that never was. The 11 shots Mansfield had against Arsenal in the first half was the most the Gunners had faced in the first 45 minutes of a match in all competitions since April 2022. Doing what Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid - as well as Manchester City and the rest of their Premier League rivals - had failed to do for nearly four years was reason enough to make Clough "incredibly proud" of the performance. "We are just left with that little nagging doubt that we could have done it [upstaged Arsenal]," Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham. And yes they did as well, of course they did, and it was inevitable with the quality they had on the pitch."

Source: BBC March 09, 2026 14:51 UTC