Goals from Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Eddie Nketiah either side of half-time sent Arsenal through to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win at Portsmouth
Arsenal were fortunate to go into the break a goal up, and it came from an unlikely source as Sokratis controlled a volley into the bottom corner from Reiss Nelson's dangerous cross (45+4)
Nelson created the second shortly after the break, taking on his man on the right before delivering for Nketiah to bundle home from close range (51)
Arsenal are now in the quarter-finals for the first time in three seasons, with the last-eight draw taking place on Wednesday evening
Arsenal made nine changes in total, including giving January capture Pablo Mari a debut at centre-back, but Portsmouth themselves also rung the changes, making six having played on Friday evening
Kenny Jackett's side started the stronger at Fratton Park, forcing Arsenal into some desperate last-ditch defending, and registering eight shots on the opposition goal in the first half, but without testing Emiliano Martinez
Lucas Torreira was taken off on a stretcher with a worrying ankle injury, replaced by Dani Ceballos, and Arsenal should have taken the lead with Gabriele Martinelli struck over at close range from a good Nelson centre
Nelson tried again during first-half stoppage time from the right flank, and this time it resulted in the opener as his superb, whipped delivery was met by Sokratis 10 yards out, the defender placing a fine volley into the bottom right corner
Nelson was causing problems again six minutes into the second half, easing his way past Steve Seddon before crossing for Nketiah, who netted at the second attempt after not quite connecting with his first effort
Arsenal loosened up further and looked for a third, but goalkeeper Alex Bass did superbly to tip over Bukayo Saka's left-footed swinging effort
At the end of the game, Portsmouth were singing about their own trip to Wembley for the Leasing
com Trophy final against Salford in April, but for Arsenal, this competition represents their only chance for silverware this season as Mikel Arteta looks to bring success back to the Emirates
Arsenal fans their first glimpse of Pablo Mari and although there will be sterner tests to come for the Spanish defender, he put in an assured display alongside David Luiz at the heart of Mikel Arteta's defence
His first touch in an Arsenal shirt was a crucial block as he got his body in the way of Gareth Evans' powerful long-range drive in second minute of the match
Portsmouth were the better side for much of the first half and they threw everything at Arsenal, but Mari did well to cope with aerial bombardment, making a couple of crucial headers as the Gunners went into the break unscathed
Arteta's side took full control of the game after the break, which allowed Mari to show some glimpses of his ability on the ball
 He kept things simple, making 77 passes with a 89
5 per cent success rate and successfully completed 13 of 17 attempted long balls, but his distribution was excellent
It was a performance that impressed head coach Arteta
 "At a tough place like this, I think he responded really, really well," Arteta told 
 "He was steady, he was calm, and he was comfortable on the ball
 I was very pleased with him
"Again, there will be stiffer examinations to come and Arteta will need to see more before deciding whether to make his loan move from Flamengo permanent for £8m in the summer, but it's a promising start for the 26-year-old
Portsmouth manager : "We had moments around their box
 But they got blocks in and defended well
 When we got deliveries in, Emiliano Martinez caught them
 We needed those moments and the goal
 we needed to get in to half-time at 0-0 and build the tempo in the second half
"Being 2-0 down against Arsenal, any side in the country will find it difficult
 They can get their tails up and make you pay
 It can be a lot more than 2-0
 We couldn't quite get that goal back
 The better side won
"It's been a great cup run
 I'm disappointed we couldn't take it further, but we played against a good side and a good club
 We have to put it behind us and look forward
"Arsenal head coach : "I'm really pleased with them [the youngsters]
 I'm enjoying working with the players
 They deserve a chance
 It's always a risk but they're worth the risk
"It was a great atmosphere and Portsmouth made it difficult
 We knew we'd have moments we could suffer but we reacted and got control of the game
 We got two goals and could have had a few more
"There is a long way to go
 But we're on the right path
 We'll see what happens in the draw
 We'll keep going because we love this competition
"Arsenal now host West Ham in the Premier League at 3pm on Saturday, while Portsmouth are at Peterborough in League One, also on Saturday at 3pm
 The quarter-final draw will take place on Wednesday evening at around 9
50pm
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