You’re probably aware that Arsenal has been in just a bit of a slump over the past two months or so. So while some may scoff at the significance of a FA Cup match at home against a fifth-tier squad, it was crucial that the Gunners put in a good performance today.
And put in a good performance they did, although they took a little while to get going. Things were fairly even between the two teams in the first half, with a neat goal by Theo Walcott giving Arsenal a 1-0 lead before halftime. Still, Lincoln City did not go without their chances, and given the very recent history of Arsenal, fans could have been reasonably nervous at the start of the second half.
Fortunately, Arsenal put on a stellar display during the following 45 minutes. Olivier Giroud, the vaunted Own Goal (Lincoln City’s Luke Waterfall to be precise), and Alexis Sánchez all got on the scoresheet for Arsenal before Aaron Ramsey wrapped up the scoring for the day by actually walking it in to goal.
All things considered, it was an impressive win for a team that really needed to show some good form again, the competition not withstanding. And more importantly, Arsenal is now in the semi-final round of the FA Cup, and thus still has a reasonable chance at collecting at least one major trophy this season, not to mention their third FA Cup in four years.
One disappointing result from this match, however, is that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has been a relative bright spot in central midfield recently, apparently picked up a hamstring injury in the first half. No word yet on how serious it was.
The FA Cup will be moving to Wembley Stadium for the semi-final. The draw for this round will be taking place on Monday after the Chelsea-Manchester United match, so around 6 P.M. or so E.ST. We will of course keep you updated. Also, if you actually managed to watch today’s match, be sure to chime in on our Community Ratings post.