Sunday’s cover: A silver lining for embattled Arsenal as FA Cup hopes still alive

It has been a disappointing season by most Arsenal fans’ accounts, but silverware is still possible following the club’s decisive 5-0 win over Lincoln on Saturday night.

Olivier Giroud – who takes the Sport cover for the Sunday, March 12, 2017 edition of The National – represented a revived second-half Arsenal side that only took a 1-0 lead into half-time when he scored their second goal in the 53rd minute.

It was all Arsenal from there, giving embattled manager Arsene Wenger a much-needed win and the London club a chance at a trophy.

Greg Lea has the report from Emirates Stadium, and he notes the inspired early effort by Lincoln:

“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.”

Also on Saturday, Manchester City advanced to the semi-finals with a breezy 2-0 win over Middlesbrough.

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