Football news - Mikel Arteta can take pride in Arsenal's victory of two halves

In the last 15 years, Arsenal FC and the concept of winning ugly have been almost mutually exclusive. Under Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery, Arsenal were disparaged as the kings of losing pretty, who go missing when it really matters. It will take years rather than months for Mikel Arteta to change that, but he will have seen fledgling signs of the team he wants to build in Arsenal’s victory at Fratton Park.

The circumstances were perfect for a typical Arsenal defeat: night game, hostile atmosphere, Olympiacos hangover, very young Arsenal side, in-your-face opposition. For once, Arsenal were cast in the role of northern softies, relatively speaking, and they had to endure a bruising start to the match. Most of the Arsenal team spent some time on the canvas in the first 20 minutes, such was Portsmouth’s robust approach, and Lucas Torreira was stretchered off after a very strong challenge from James Bolton. Somewhere in the world, Sam Allardyce may have had a wry chuckle at the sight of Arsenal being kicked around by Bolton.

Arsenal were poor in attack in the first half – but at least they restricted Portsmouth to penalty-box scrambles rather than clear chances, with even the much-maligned David Luiz relishing the opportunity to do some dirty work as balls were launched into the area. Sokratis’ smart volley on the stroke of half-time was an unexpected bonus, and Eddie Nketiah’s 51st-minute goal punctured Portsmouth’s belief. From that moment on, it was a cruise for Arsenal. But their passing and movement had been much sharper even before Nketiah’s goal, suggesting a half-time hairdryer from Mikel Arteta. His polite, softly-spoken nature disguises the fact that he is not a man to be crossed.

Reiss Nelson made both goals, stealing the headlines from more recently celebrated talents like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. Saka was as classy as ever going forward – there is no smoother attacking left-back available to Gareth Southgate - but struggled a little with Portsmouth’s direct approach at the other end. Nelson isn’t quite as elegant, but his dynamic, decisive running down the right made him a regular threat to Portsmouth.

Nelson was one of six players under the age of 21 in the Arsenal team. What started as a cliched visit to the school of hard knocks ended with them having fun in the playground, passing the ball around with a bit of a strut and giving Portsmouth no option but to accept their inferiority.

The margins are fine, and had Portsmouth taken the lead it might have been very different. In sport, nobody truly knows where to draw the line between mental toughness and luck. But the victors usually get to write their own history, and Arsenal can legitimately claim that they earned the right to play by toughing it out during a difficult first half.

The days of immense leaders like Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira are gone – not just at Arsenal, but throughout football. The toughness that Arteta wants to develop is more mental than physical; as the game progressed, and they came to terms with Portsmouth’s aggression, the young Arsenal players showed impressive courage in possession.

An FA Cup win at a League One side is nothing to shout about, but every bit of positive reinforcement is important when you are trying to change the DNA of a club. It was a game of two halves, both of which Arsenal won 1-0. The first was ugly, the second extremely pretty. Arteta will probably take more satisfaction from the ugly bit.