Arsenal through to FA Cup Semis (4-1 over Everton)

Arsenal snatched the lead early on Mesut Ozil’s 7^th minute goal, his first since December 8. Arteta started the attack with a pass to Ox who flicked it cleverly forward to Cazorla in the middle. He charged straight ahead and then threaded the ball between two Everton defenders to Ozil, who coolly finished across goal. Arsenal looked dominant from here, though they failed to find a second and were twice exposed on the counter, partially due to some sloppy passing in the midfield. Then in the 32^nd minute, an Everton counter that started with an Arteta blocked shot was pushed forward by Barkely on the right, chased by Flamini, who couldn’t dive in as he normally would because he had already accrued a yellow. Ozil trailed behind but never caught up and the cross found Mirallas at the far corner. He fumbled the ball, but luckily right to Lukaku who finished from a yard out. That is how the half ended and Arsenal must have felt they deserved better (10 corners to zero and more possession and shots).

The second half started with some nice passing, but Sanogo spurned two decent chances to shoot and the opportunities disappeared. Arsenal got two corners in quick succession, but were beaten in the air both times. In between, another head scratching fumble by Vermaelen allowed Lukaku to snatch the ball and head toward goal, giving it to Barkley who shot just high. The pressure was starting to build as the clock marched on and in the 60^th minute, Giroud came on for Sanogo. Six minutes later, Ox faked out a tiring Barry and then shot past him on the byline and Barry put out a lazy leg and a penalty was called. Arteta walked up to the spot seemingly completely aware of the moment, then pounded it into the far corner. But Giroud had moved a moment early and he had to rekick. This time he sent a peach to the top right corner, beating Robles who had guessed right. It was 2-1, but with Everton attacking the game was still in the balance.

Then the Arsenal that is arguably among the best teams in the world started to play their game for the first time in weeks. In the 82^nd minute, Sagna passed the ball to Rosicky on the right wing, then charged inward receiving a perfect pass from the Czech, making his way to the line inside the box as Giroud shifted into scoring position. Sagna passed the ball to the French striker and he pounded it into the near post. It was 3-1, but Arsenal still weren’t finished. In the 85^th a counter started with Cazorla, who stole the ball on the edge of his own box, charged forward and passed off to Rosicky who ran down the right wing. He waited to the ideal moment and sent it across to Ozil who laid it off an easy Giroud finish. It was the Frenchman’s 18^th of the season, and capped a fine performance for the much maligned Ozil, who collected a goal and assist.

Arsenal held on for the 4-1 victory and now head into the FA Cup semis against one of the three winners tomorrow (with Man City the least appealing of the three, obviously). So while the Gunners form in the EPL has slipped in recent weeks, together with the disappointing result against Bayern, they have beaten Tottenham, Liverpool and now Everton to get two games from their first trophy in 9 year (in this very competition in 2005). Next up is the daunting task of trying to beat Bayern 2-0 at the Allianz for the second year running, and then score one more in extra time or win a shoot-out. But if they play as they did in the last 20, it is not beyond the realm of belief. Three things …

1)  Sanogo: the young striker is clearly a work in progress, though his potential appears great. His holdup play and passing is decent, but he seems flustered around the box and needs to work on his movement and preparation for shots. He had a nice shot on goal in the first half, but otherwise flubbed several other half chances and needs to improve his decision-making and composure in the final third. But a talent to watch for the future.

2)  Ozil/Giroud: Ozil has been the recipient of an incredible amount of vitriol from journalists and fans for his performance over the past two months, but this was his coming out party, part deux, and the goal and assist should go a long way toward restoring his confidence. His passing was excellent all game and he ran forward with a resolve that has been lacking in recent weeks. Giroud came on late to score two goals, and almost a hat trick in the end, and it was a much needed performance for a player who has appeared tired in recent games. Let’s hope he takes this form into the Bayern game and then the next three key matches in the EPL.

3)  Defense/Errors/Wilshere: Many fans will disagree with me, but the combination of Arteta and Wilshere has not reaped positive results in recent weeks and Arsenal seemed substantially more fluid with the young Englishman absent. While he has clear talent, I believe he is one of the most overrated players in England at the moment. With him out for six weeks, and Ramsey ready to return next week, the one issue that appears to have emerged in recent games is a dramatic increase in errors from the midfield creating dangerous counters and less defensive organization. The inclusion of Vermaelen, who just isn’t the player he was two seasons ago, played a role, but Arsenal could easily have found themselves down 3-1, if Everton had finished two other good opportunities on counters started by Arsenal errors. Hopefully, the energy of Ramsey will bring Arsenal back to their earlier season defensive form.