Arsenal 5-0 Lincoln
Arsenal: Walcott (45’+1) Giroud (53’) Waterfall (58 OG’) Sanchez (72’) Ramsey (75’)
In the end, this was the result and performance that beleaguered Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger needed.
His side did not make things easy for themselves for half of Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final, but this was ultimately a case of job done as the Premier League outfit kept alive their hopes of silverware in a season which has otherwise been rather underwhelming.
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■ More FA Cup: Manchester City in semi-finals with easy victory over Middlesbrough
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This was not the sort of dominant performance from start to finish that the scoreline suggests, but Arsenal’s extra quality eventually told against opponents 87 places below them in the English football pyramid.
It was Lincoln who started the brighter of the two teams, the visitors winning a free-kick within 20 seconds and refusing to allow Arsenal to settle into any sort of rhythm in the opening stages.
The National League leaders actually enjoyed the majority of possession in the first five minutes, although their game plan thereafter centred on firing long passes to the head of burly centre-forward Matt Rhead or into the channels for his strike partner Jack Muldoon to chase.
Despite their sluggishness Arsenal should have taken the lead in the 10th minute, when Aaron Ramsey dragged his shot wide after a fine cutback from Hector Bellerin. The hosts went close again soon after, but Theo Walcott’s dipping volley was turned onto the post by Paul Farman as around 9,000 Lincoln fans behind him breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Wenger’s side saw plenty of the ball, they struggled to do much with it. Lincoln centre-halves Luke Waterfall and Sean Raggett cut out most of the crosses that were sent into the box, while midfielders Alex Woodyard and Alan Power sat in front of the back four to ensure there were no gaps to be exploited through the middle.
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See also
■ From Barcelona: Fans spur team to greatest of comebacks
■ Predictions: Chelsea set for shock defeat to Manchester United
■ Xabi Alonso: Will be remembered as a great teammate on great teams
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Things could have been even better for the underdogs if Petr Cech’s reflexes were not so sharp. An electric run from Nathan Arnold saw the winger burst past Granit Xhaka and Laurent Koscielny down the right, before his curling effort was palmed behind by the Arsenal goalkeeper.
It looked as though Lincoln had done enough to go in at the interval with the scores level, but they were dealt a cruel blow in first-half stoppage time. Kieran Gibbs squared the loose ball to Walcott after Danny Cowley’s side failed to clear a corner, and the England international’s shot deflected off Sam Habergham before nestling in the bottom corner.
Arsenal began the second half with greater aggression and intensity, and they had their reward in the 53rd minute: Bellerin’s one-two with Alexis Sanchez cut Lincoln’s defence open, with Olivier Giroud on hand to provide the finishing touch.
The home fans were on their feet again less than 300 seconds later, as captain Waterfall inadvertently turned the ball into his own net from Gibbs’s low delivery. Lincoln, tiring by the minute, struggled to pose much of a threat at the other end, as Sanchez got in on the act with a neat finish from 20 yards and Ramsey walked the ball over the line to make it five.
The FA Cup’s importance has clearly diminished in the eyes of the country’s elite, but the competition holds great significance for the remainder of Arsenal’s season. Now through to the semi-finals, a record-breaking seventh triumph could be enough to keep Wenger at the Emirates.
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