So, it’s off to Wembley we go. Everton put up a tremendous fight and they could just have easily booked a place at Wembley themselves. After a high tempo, exciting 5th round tie against Liverpool, the 6th round proved to be just as exhilarating.
At 1-1, with goals from Mesut Özil and Romelu Lukaku, the game really was anybody’s. Barkley had a good chance to put Everton in the lead just before Chamberlain won a penalty at the other end. Mikel Arteta scored the first penalty but it had to be retaken. He stepped up a second time and effortlessly netted again to put us 2-1 in the lead.
After that, Giroud scored a brace to seal a place in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
At the beginning of the season I wrote that it was unlikely we would triumph over the course of thirty-eight games and win the league, and that the FA Cup would be our best chance of silverware. That certainly seems to be the case now.
Oddly enough, this season the draws have been rather unkind to us. We had already seen off Tottenham and Liverpool before drawing Everton, and we have now seen off them as well.
The one big name still in the competition now is Manchester City. If, somehow, Wigan manage to pull off a repeat of last years final and overcome City, we will have a genuine shot at winning silverware.
Of course, if City do progress and we meet them at Wembley, they will provide us with our biggest challenge of the competition so far. But, why shouldn’t we beat them as well? They are a very good team, but so are Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Everyone, including Arsène and the fans, knows just how important winning this competition is. But most importantly, the players do as well, and they’re hungry for it.
My favourite moment in today’s game (besides Mesut’s wonderful little assist) was Per Mertesacker’s reaction to Olivier’s first goal. When he fell to his knees as the ball hit the back of the net, it became obvious just how important silverware is to this team.
There has been a renewed hunger for trophies this season and it doesn’t show any signs of fading. The league is now out of our hands. We have to keep getting points on the board and hope that Chelsea and City slip up along the way.
But the FA Cup is most certainly there for the taking and I believe one hundred per cent that this team can go to the final and lift the trophy at the end of it.
We have two games between silverware and us and nobody likes to get their hopes up to much when it comes to Arsenal winning a trophy. We’ve suffered plenty of disappointment in the past and I’m unsure if many would know how to handle it again.
However, we are playing some fantastic football, we’re going to Wembley and we may just end our trophy drought. Enjoy the moment; after all, what would be the point of being a Gooner if you didn’t?
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Header Photo via David Wilson- http://www.flickr.com/photos/braveheartsportsnetwork/