Two minutes later, the home side went ahead after Steve Watkin collected the ball from his teammate Gordon Davies and diverted it past goalkeeper David Seaman.
Referred to as one of the greatest FA Cup "giant-killings" of all time, Arsenal manager George Graham described Wrexham's win as his "lowest moment in football.
"[6] Indeed, a match preview compiled by Times journalist Clive White warned against complacency for the visitors: "Wrexham are no push-overs at home and may be encouraged by the absence of Limpar, Wright and Bould in the Arsenal team.
"[11] Wrexham's precarious league position was covered in a The Guardian feature piece, which examined the feasibility of the club's ambitious redevelopment project.
As part of a £42 million plan, Wrexham secretary David Rhodes proposed a new 5,000 all-seater stadium, while its Racecourse Ground would be converted into a supermarket.
[6] The FA Cup tie between Wrexham and Arsenal was not televised live in the United Kingdom, though regular updates were broadcast on BBC Radio 5, Final Score and ITV's Results Service.
Manager George Graham named a strong first eleven: David O'Leary came in for Bould to partner Tony Adams in defence, while Jimmy Carter made his second start for the club since joining in late 1991.
It did not take long for Arsenal to create another chance; Nigel Winterburn played the ball down the left side of the pitch, finding Merson who ran in towards the penalty area and produced a cross.
Within two minutes of the equaliser, Wrexham went ahead: a poor clearance by Winterburn resulted in Davies latching onto the ball over the top and, instead of volleying an effort on goal, he squared it for Watkin.
[15] Carter had the ball in the net late on, but the referee ruled the goal out for offside; the final whistle was blown moments later and sparked a pitch invasion from the joyous home fans.
Match rules A jubilant Thomas described the free kick as the most crucial goal of his career, and believed Wrexham had every chance of causing another upset in the next round, despite an unfavourable away draw: "We are disappointed not to be at home but after beating the champions we're not afraid of anyone.
"[2] Wrexham midfielder Davies accused Arsenal of underestimating their opponents and felt their unrest at having conceded the equaliser worked to the home side's advantage: "I thought they were going to be a lot more professional when they were leading and tighten it up.
"[19] Wrexham were drawn to play West Ham United in the fourth round, where they secured a 2–2 draw at the Boleyn Ground thanks to goals from Wayne Phillips and Lee Jones.
[20] The replay was played on 4 February with a solitary West Ham goal coming from defender Colin Foster, securing a 1–0 win in front of 17,995 fans at the Racecourse Ground.
"[24] Cited as one of the greatest upsets in Cup history,[25][26][27] commentator John Motson described the Wrexham-Arsenal tie as a "giant killing which has stood the test of time.