Arsenal stayed on course to end a trophy drought stretching back to 2005 as they secured a place in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley with victory over Everton at Emirates Stadium.
In a quarter-final that was closer than the emphatic final scoreline suggests, Mesut Ozil gave Arsenal an early lead but Romelu Lukaku tapped in from almost on the goalline to equalise for Everton before half-time.
Arsenal finally exerted their superiority through Mikel Arteta’s twice-taken penalty after 67 minutes following Gareth Barry’s injudicious challenge on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Substitute Olivier Giroud then struck twice in the last 10 minutes to give the hosts a winning margin that was harsh on Everton, who were in the game for so long – but there can be no question Arsenal deserved to win.
It was a vital win, too, as the FA Cup emerges as the Gunners’ best hope of claiming their first silverware since winning this tournament in 2005.
The manner of the victory also provides the perfect platform for the arduous Champions League task awaiting them on Tuesday as they try to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the second leg of their last-16 tie against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena.
Source: BBC Sport
