Arsenal struggles to beat fifth-tier Sutton

Arsenal took 26 minutes to break through fifth-tier Sutton United’s resistance and the 12-time FA Cup winner was made to toil for a 2-0 victory over the tenacious non-league side.

SUTTON, ENGLAND >> Arsenal took 26 minutes to break through fifth-tier Sutton United’s resistance and the 12-time FA Cup winner was made to toil for a 2-0 victory over the tenacious non-league side to reach the quarterfinals on Monday.

On the plastic patch at tiny Gander Green Lane stadium, the gulf in class between sides separated by 105 places in the English soccer pyramid was not always apparent in the biggest game in Sutton’s 118-year history.

“It was not an easy game at all,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “Every little mistake we made, technically they took advantage of.”

Apart from picking the ball out of his net twice, Sutton goalkeeper Ross Worner, a part-time picture framer for a sports memorabilia company, had few saves to make from the millionaire international stars from Arsenal. Only Lucas Perez, a 20 millioneuro signing last year, and Theo Walcott could beat Worner, an Arsenal fan.

“That was astonishing,” Wenger said.