Arsenal sealed their spot in the FA Cup semifinals with a routine 5-0 win over fifth-tier Lincoln City at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
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The minnows played well in the first half with Arsenal’s opener via Theo Walcott coming in the first minute of first half stoppage time.
Arsene Wenger’s struck twice in quick succession early on in the second half to put the result beyond doubt with Olivier Giroud and an own goal setting them on their way and then Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey added a goal each to secure their trip to Wembley on April 22 or 23.
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Arsenal have now reached the FA Cup semifinal for the third time in the last four seasons as they’ve won the trophy in two of the last three campaigns and Wenger is two wins away from his seventh FA Cup trophy as Gunners boss.
For Lincoln, their wonderful FA Cup adventure comes to an end after they dumped out second-tier sides Ipswich and Brighton, plus Premier League side Burnley. The Imps can hold their heads high.
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Lincoln started brightly enough roared on by their 9,000 traveling fans but Arsenal had the first big chance of the game.
A ball fell to Theo Walcott on the edge of the box and his drive was brilliantly palmed onto the post by Lincoln goalkeeper Paul Farman.
Midway through the first half Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hobbled off injured and Mesut Ozil came on in his place and moments later Lincoln almost went ahead.
Nathan Arnold cut in from the right flank and danced past two defenders before curling a shot towards the top corner which Petr Cech saved superbly.
Ozil curled in a cross to the back post which Farman scrambled to push wide and from the resulting corner Arsenal took the lead as Walcott slotted home the layoff from Olivier Giroud. 1-0 to the Gunners right on half time.
Giroud drilled a shot towards the bottom corner in he second half but Farman saved well and then from the rebound Walcott teed up Kieran Gibbs but he was off-balance and his header went over.
Soon after Giroud made it 2-0 as a wonderful piece of interplay between Sanchez and Hector Bellerin saw the latter pick out Arsenal’s French striker and he slotted home.
Bellerin then curled an effort wide when it looked easier to score and then Arsenal’s other full back, Gibbs, linked up with Sanchez as his Gibbs’ cross deflected off Lincoln’s skipper Luke Waterfall and in. 3-0 to Arsenal.
Sanchez then made the most of a defensive slip to curl home a beauty and make it 4-0, then his cross to the back post was tucked away by Ramsey as the Gunners ran away with things.
Alan Power forced Cech into a good stop late on in a rare attack as Sanchez rattled the crossbar with a dipping free kick.
Lincoln tired in the second half and were punished by a ruthless, business-like Arsenal.