3 positives & 1 negative from Arsenal's dominant win over Portsmouth

Arsenal secured their spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a dominant 4-1 victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

The Gunners were forced to come from behind after Colby Bishop put the hosts ahead inside three minutes, but an own goal and a Gabriel Martinelli hat-trick helped them cruise into the next stage.

There were three positives and one negative as Mikel Arteta's side fought back to defeat Pompey.

3 positives & 1 negative from Arsenal's dominant win over Portsmouth

Positive #1: Squad depth on show

Arteta made 10 changes for the trip to Fratton Park, with Gabriel Magalhaes being the only player who retained his spot following Thursday's 0-0 draw with Liverpool.

If he were to make that many alterations to his side just a few years ago, it's safe to assume Arsenal would have been on the wrong end of a 4-1 hammering, but that certainly wasn't the case against Portsmouth.

Even with squad players and some who have rarely played this season coming into the side, the Gunners' brilliance didn't fade as they cruised to victory on the South Coast and that showed how far their depth has come.

Negative #1: Conceding early

While the scoreline wouldn't seem it, Arsenal didn't exactly start the game well as they conceded to a Colby Bishop strike to find themselves on the back foot after just three minutes.

That put them in a bad position in the opening stages, but they would have been thankful to equalise through a well forced own goal just moments after.

Although it didn't have an impact on the result, it could have gone badly for the Gunners had they not fought back so quickly so conceding early is something they will have to rid of their game straight away.

Positive #2: Martinelli's hat-trick

Starting over Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli had a point to prove on the left wing and he did just that.

Scoring an impressive hat-trick, the Brazilian proved his worth in the cups once again this season as he became his side's top goalscorer across all competitions.

Trossard has been Arteta's first choice on the left flank this campaign, but Martinelli has certainly given the Spaniard something to think about for the coming matches.

Positive #3: Midfield displays

It was very much a different midfield three that Arteta fielded as Mikel Merino, Ethan Nwaneri and Eberechi Eze made up the middle of the park against Portsmouth.

The whole trio put in impressive performances, with Nwaneri and Nwaneri the standouts while Eze also looked good at times.

Martín Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard have been the usual starting three in midfield this season, but the alternate trio could come in handy for the cup competitions and if they continue playing how they did against Portsmouth, Arsenal will be just fine when rotating.