Two goals from late substitute Olivier Giroud and one apiece by Mesut Ozil and Mikel Arteta secured Arsenal’s place in the FA Cup semi-finals with a 4-1 win against Everton at the Emirates Stadium yesterday.
Ozil gave Arsenal a seventh minute lead, after a precise through-ball from Santi Cazorla but Everton equalised after a surging run from Ross Barkely resulted in a Romelu Lukaku tap-in after 32 minutes.
Arsenal regained the lead in the 68th minute after Gareth Barry tripped Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the box and Mikel Arteta converted the penalty.
Giroud then came off the bench to score twice in two minutes, in the 83rd and 85th minutes, to seal an emphatic win for Arsenal.
In an end-to-end cup tie it looked as though the visitors might force a replay but Arteta’s penalty was the turning point in the game, forcing Everton to push forward, leaving themselves open at the back.
The Spanish midfielder, who left Everton for Arsenal in August 2011, was forced to retake his initial penalty after Giroud encroached into the box and admitted it was a big moment for him.
“When I had to retake the penalty it was just about keeping my concentration level high,” Arteta said.
“It was a massive moment and I’m just happy I scored.
“We dominated the game and had the better chances but Everton showed their quality when they broke in the first half so overall we are happy to be at Wembley.”
Arsenal now enter the draw for the semi-finals at Wembley with high hopes of winning their first major trophy in nine years.
The rest of the FA Cup quarter-finals will be played today.
• On-loan midfielder Ravel Morrison scored his first goals since arriving in February as QPR ended a five-match winless run with a 2-0 victory at Birmingham in the Championship yesterday.
Morrison, who joined from West Ham in mid-February, struck in the 14th and 73rd minutes to allow Rangers to take advantage of slip-ups by their promotion-chasing rivals.
With the top two not playing, none of the other teams in the top 12 in action managed a win with Derby and Nottingham Forest slipping to surprise defeats at home to Millwall and away to Barnsley respectively.
Results and standings
Premier League
Cardiff 3
Caulker 45, 67; Riether 71 og;
Fulham 1
Holtby 59;
HT: 1-0. Att: 26,796.
Chelsea 4
Eto’o 56; Hazard 60p; Ba 88, 89;
Tottenham 0
HT: 0-0. Att: 41,598.
Red card: Kaboul (T) 59.
C. Palace 0
Southampton 1
Rodriguez 37;
HT: 0-1. Att: 25,073.
Norwich 1
Johnson 56;
Stoke 1
Walters 73 pen;
HT: 0-0. Att: 26,646.
Red card: Walters (S) 76.
West Brom 0
Man. United 3
Jones 34; Rooney 65; Welbeck 82;
HT: 0-1. Att: 26,184.
FA Cup quarter-final
Arsenal 4
Ozil 7; Arteta 68p; Giroud 83, 85;
Everton 1
Lukaku 32;
HT: 1-1. Att: 59,719.
Playing today
Hull vs Sunderland - 15.00
Manchester City vs Wigan - 17.05
Sheffield Utd vs Charlton - 13.00
Top scorers
24 goals: Suarez (Liverpool).
18 goals: Sturridge (Liverpool).
15 goals: Aguero (Man. City).
13 goals: Toure (Man. City), Remy (Newcastle), Hazard (Chelsea).
12 goals: Giroud (Arsenal)
Next fixtures
Saturday: 13.45 Hull vs Man. City. 16.00 Everton vs Cardiff; Fulham vs Newcastle; Southampton vs Norwich; Stoke vs West Ham; Sunderland vs Crystal Palace; Swansea vs West Brom. 18.30 Aston Villa vs Chelsea.
Sunday: 14.30 Man. United vs Liverpool; 17.00 Tottenham vs Arsenal.
The Championship
Barnsley 1 - Nottm Forest 0
Birmingham 0 - QPR 2
Blackpool 0 - Bournemouth 1
Brighton 1 - Reading 1
Derby 0 - Millwall 1
Doncaster 2 - Huddersfield 0
Leeds 1 - Bolton 5
M’boro 2 - Ipswich 0
Yeovil 2 - Sheffield Wed. 0
Playing today
Blackburn Rovers vs Burnley - 13.30
Standings: Leicester 74; Burnley 66; Derby 61; QPR 60; N. Forest 55; Reading, Wigan 52; Brighton 50; Ipswich 48; Blackburn 46; Watford 45; Leeds 44; Middlesbrough, Huddersfield 43; Bournemouth 42; Sheffield Wed., Bolton 39; Birmingham 36; Blackpool 35; Doncaster 33; Millwall 31; Yeovil, Barnsley 29; Charlton 27.
League One
Brentford 2 - Bradford 0
Colchester 2 - Coventry 1
Gillingham 1 - Crawley 0
Notts County 0 - Leyton Orient 0
Oldham 1 - Preston 3
Peterborough 4 - Crewe 2
Port Vale 2 - Carlisle 1
Shrewsbury 2 - Bristol City 3
Stevenage 3 - Tranmere 1
Swindon 1 - MK Dons 2
Walsall 0 - Wolves 3
Standings: Wolves 73; Leyton Orient 71; Brentford 70; Preston 67; Rotherham United 62; Peterborough 55; MK Dons 49; Swindon, Walsall 47; Port Vale 46; Sheffield Utd 44; Coventry, Bradford City, Gillingham 41; Colchester, Crawley 39; Bristol City, Oldham Athletic 38; Carlisle 37; Tranmere Rovers 36; Stevenage, Crewe Alexandra 35; Shrewsbury Town 32; Notts County 31.
League Two
Accrington 3 - Chesterfield 1
Wimbledon 0 - York1
Bristol Rovers 2 - Plymouth 1
Exeter 2 - Dagenham 2
Mansfield 2 - Newport 1
Morecambe 2 - Southend 1
Oxford 1 - Burton 2
Portsmouth 0 - Cheltenham 0
Scunthorpe 1 - Northampton 1
Torquay 0 - Fleetwood 1
Wycombe 2 - Hartlepool 1
Tomorrow
Chesterfield vs Portsmouth - 20.45
Standings: Chesterfield 62; Scunthorpe, Rochdale 61; Burton 59; Fleetwood Town 57; Oxford 55; Southend 50; Plymouth 48; York 46; Hartlepool 45; Newport 44; Cheltenham, Morecambe 43; Bristol Rovers, Dagenham, Wimbledon, Mansfield 42; Wycombe, Portsmouth 41; Bury, Exeter City, Accrington Stanley 40; Northampton 34; Torquay United 30.