We're going to Wembley!

Arsenal 4-1 Everton

Arsenal produced an excellent performance on Saturday as they roared into the semi-finals of the FA cup. There were standout performances all over the pitch from those in red and white as Roberto Martinez’s side were soundly beaten.

Although the away side had a better start to the game, keeping the ball well in similar fashion to the league game between the two sides at the Emirates, this time the Gunners quickly got themselves into the match. And what better way to do so than with a goal, an early one at that. With only seven minutes on the clock, Santi Cazorla picked the ball up near the half way line, turned and ran towards the Everton penalty area. The Spaniard waited for just the right moment before laying off a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Ozil. Given his recent struggles it would have been understandable for Arsenal’s record signing to either rush his shot or to just hit it as hard as possible and hope for the best. However Ozil showed his supreme quality by calmly placing the ball beyond Robles to give the Gunners the lead, despite two Everton defenders flying into last ditch tackles.

Arsenal were excellent in the opening 30 minutes, playing neat intricate passes which has been the hallmark of their game for so many years, but along with this the Gunners were also creating chances. Sanogo had a shot well saved at the near post; Oxlade-Chamberlain was also denied by Robles before the Spanish goalkeeper almost turned a Sagna cross into his own goal. Having been so far on top, the Gunners should have taken advantage and increased their lead but were forced to curse their luck in the 33^rd minute.

Despite being a goal down, Everton were still happy to invite Arsenal onto them, in the hope of catching the home side on the break. This is exactly what they did for their equaliser. As Arteta’s shot was blocked, the ball fell to Ross Barkley who carried the ball all the way to the edge of the Arsenal penalty area, before unleashing a low cross right across the penalty area to Mirallas at the back post. The Belgian completely miscued his effort, but the ball fell straight to Lukaku who had an empty net in front of him. The man on loan from Chelsea needlessly celebrated in front of the North Bank by cupping his hand to his ear, but never mind, his smile would turn into a frown by the end of the game.

Despite the obvious set back, Arsenal were clearly determined to get the job done on Saturday and returned to the field, for the second half some three minutes before Everton. Nevertheless, the opening minutes of the second period were cagey and the Gunners almost gifted the away side the lead when Vermaelen slipped as he attempted to clear a ball down the line, allowing Lukaku to run into the box and lay the ball back to Barkley who thankfully shot high and wide.

It would prove to be a costly miss as minutes later Ozil, who had an excellent game on Saturday, slid the ball through to Oxlade-Chamberlain in the box. Gareth Barry attempted to win back possession, but in doing so brought the Arsenal player down to concede a penalty. Up stepped Arteta to send the goalkeeper the wrong way, but referee Mark Clattenberg ordered a retake, penalising Giroud for encroachment. Arteta made no mistake with his second effort either, this time firing high into the corner to restore the Gunners lead.

From this moment on, Arsenal never looked back. Oxlade-Chamberlain was immense. His strength, skill and direct running caused Everton problems time and time again, giving Leighton Baines nightmares every time he ran at him. The former Southampton man has really come on leaps and bounds this season and could prove to be a decisive weapon in the final weeks of the campaign with his confidence appearing to be sky high at the moment. One man who hasn’t been so self-assured of late, Ozil, also really came to the fore on Saturday. Not only was he directly involved in three of the four goals, but his willingness to run back and help the team was equally impressive. Hopefully he can build on this performance and help fire the team on, in what is the most daunting run of fixtures imaginable.

As Everton were forced to push forward in search of an equaliser they were of course susceptible to counter attacks and Arsenal took full advantage to put the game beyond doubt with two goals in three minutes. The first in the 83^rd minute owed much to Bacary Sagna. The Arsenal right back raced to the by-line and waited patiently for Giroud to make a run, laying the ball perfectly into his compatriot, for the striker to steer home at the near post. Then in the 86^th minute, the Gunners scored a trademark Arsenal goal as they caught Everton on the break. Cazorla played the ball wide to Rosicky, who in turn fed Ozil. The German could have shot on goal, but showed great awareness to lay the ball square to Giroud for the Frenchman to pass the ball into the net.

Arsenal were outstanding on Saturday in what was a much needed performance given the disappointing loss to Stoke the previous week. This result will give the whole club a huge lift at a vital point in the season and the celebrations at the end showed just how much it means to both the supporters and the players. Wigan’s win at Manchester City has now seen the Gunners become firm favourites to end their trophy draught, but it certainly won’t be easy. Wigan have nothing to lose and having already defeated City, will not fear anyone. Arsenal need to concentrate on the task at hand and show that they have learnt their lesson following that infamous Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham.