The first half was a swift moving pleasing game on the eyes, with lots of chances, most at the Everton end of the field.
Everton controlled the early play, but gave up a goal on Arsenal’s first foray forward. Mesut Ozil scored a much needed goal from a lovely setup on the break from Cazorla.
Arsenal had several chances to score the second, but good saves and last minute blocked shots kept them at bay. It was one of those blocked shots, from Mikel Arteta, that created the equalizer.
Barkley was able to advance into the Arsenal half, Flamini wary of challenging him because he’d just been yellow carded, sent in his cross to Mirallas, who deflected the ball to Lukaku to nudge it home.
The second half was more untidy than the second, but Arsenal largely controlled the game, although they were not creating clearcut chances.
The breakthrough came when the Ox dodged by Gareth Barry, who stuck out a leg, tripping the Ox and a penalty was given.
Mikel Arteta coolly had to score twice, after referee Mark Clattenburg, ordered a retake because of too much jostling from Giroud.
Two late goals from substitute Giroud sealed the match, the fourth being the pick of them all, a lovely sequence of passes culminating in an easy finish for Giroud.
Arsenal now advance to the FA Cup semi-final, perhaps their best chance of winning a trophy this season.
Player Ratings:
Fabianski 6. Lukasz didn’t have to make that many saves, although there were one or two balls he didn’t catch cleanly.
Sagna 8. Largely kept Baines busy with a solid attacking game. He put a number of crosses into the box, some good, some not so good. He assisted on the third Arsenal goal, crossing to Giroud in the box. He was a little late getting back to cover on Everton’s goal, but made a timely lunge to put off Pienaar from shooting.
Mertesacker 7. A solid match throughout. He might have done better on Everton’s goal though.
Vermaelen 7. First game in a long time. He had a good outing, although his airball clearance gave Everton some life for about three minutes.
Gibbs 8. A good game for Kieran. He was solid defensively and got forward a number of times. Hopefully he didn’t pick up a significant injury as he came off at the end.
Flamini 6. An early yellow card became a problem for him, but he never picked up a second. A typical outing for Flamini, although he made a couple of poor passes as well.
Arteta 7. Arteta’s penalties were excellent and he had a good game, although he too made some stray passes. He played in a more advanced position and he seemed to thrive with more freedom, although once or twice he made more conservative passes than the crowd wanted.
Ozil 8. My man of the match. A strong game from the much maligned German, but he delivered the first goal and he assisted on the final goal. He also worked hard throughout the game.
Oxlade-Chamberlain 8. Could have been the man of the match as well. Was full of energy, took a number of shots, kept Baines from marauding forward, won the penalty, and delivered the kind of game that will be crucial over the next two months.
Sanogo 6. Another decent outing for Yaya. Had one shot saved in the first half and he linked up well with his teammates.
Cazorla 8. An excellent game for Santi who was strong on the ball, but always a step away from delivering a goal. Assisted on the first goal.
Substitutes:
Rosicky 7. Involved in the buildup for the final two goals, he came on and delivered a typical Rosicky performance.
Giroud 8. Two goals off the bench, the first one he indicated where Sagna should place it, the second at the end of a quick counterattack.
Jenkinson n/a. Played the last five minutes for Gibbs.