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LONDON -- Lukas Podolski scored a brace in the first half on Friday to help give Arsenal a routine 4-0 victory over third-tier Coventry in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Cheap Jerseys Authentic . In a game that Arsenal dominated from the start, Podolski put the hosts ahead in the 15th minute by slotting home a cool finish after being set up by Mesut Ozil. He then doubled the lead with a close-range header from a corner in the 27th. The win was never in doubt after that and Arsenal added two late goals as substitute Olivier Giroud struck in the 85th after replacing Podolski five minutes earlier, before Santi Cazorla slotted in the fourth. In Fridays only other FA Cup game, Nottingham Forest was held to a 0-0 draw at home against Preston. Playing in a steady drizzle in north London, it was the kind of comfortable victory Arsenal had hoped for as it looks ahead to facing Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout round, while trying to protect its slim lead atop the Premier League. Despite playing at home against third-tier opposition, manager Arsene Wenger named a surprisingly strong starting lineup with both Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere in midfield -- perhaps worried about another upset after going out to Blackburn last season. And with Wenger contemplating buying a striker in the January transfer window, Podolski showed off his scoring touch by deciding the game in the first half. Podolski was first sent clear by Ozil on the left side of the area and calmly rounded goalkeeper Joe Murphy before slotting a left-footed shot into an empty net. The second came from a corner that Per Mertesacker met at the near post and headed on across the goal, with Podolski waiting at the far post to nod it into the net. "Podolski can score goals and when you have a goal chance you want him to have it," Wenger said. "He is very accurate in his finishing." Coventry was more enterprising after the break, enjoying several spells of pressure, but Leon Clarke wasted the teams two best chances for a goal. Clarke raced clear down the right flank in the 50th but got too close to the byline before firing a low shot from a tight angle that Fabianski parried. He then hit the right post with a first time effort from just inside the area as Arsenal seemed content to sit back and protect its lead. "I know it was 4-0 but when you consider the difference in resources of both clubs, I know its a hard luck story, but my players should take so much confidence from that performance," Coventry manager Steven Pressley said. Giroud took his only chance in front of goal by slotting in a finish inside the near post and Cazorla continued his scoring streak from a similar position for his third goal in two games. Arsenals talented 16-year-old midfielder Gedion Zelalem had also come on as a substitute, as Wenger for the first time gave a debut to a player who was born after the Frenchman became manager of the team. "That is more damaging for me than for him," Wenger joked. Zelalem has been touted as perhaps the clubs biggest talent since Cesc Fabregas and was given a rousing reception when he came on. Coventry is a former Premier League club and the 1987 FA Cup winner but has struggled both on and off the field in recent years. The team is 11th in League One this season and has been forced to play all of its home games at Northampton because of a rent dispute with the owners of Ricoh Arena. The contingent of about 6,000 Coventry fans protested the situation during the game, holding up signs in the 35th and 61st minute. Arsenal had its own stadium problems, with some of the floodlights at the Emirates going out just before halftime. The game continued without interruption, with hundreds of fans making fun of the situation by lighting up their mobile phones in the stands in mock efforts to illuminate the pitch. It was about the only thing that went wrong for Arsenal on the night. Cheap Jerseys China . Forte was injured on a run deep in Chicago territory midway through the first quarter, when Kansas Citys Derrick Johnson hit him in the knee. http://www.cheapauthenticjerseys.us.com/nike-nfl-jerseys-china_seattle-seahawks-jersey-china/ . "The opportunities are going to come," he said Monday on a conference call from Slovenia, where the team was preparing for a friendly. "If we werent creating chances then it would be a different conversation.After a 59-save shutout of the San Jose Sharks, Ben Scrivens has given the Edmonton Oilers reason to believe he might be the answer in net going forward. He is also set to become a unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The question is, do the Oilers sign the 27-year-old to a new deal, whether it be short or long term? Or do they trade him in hopes of maximizing his potential value? Its hard to believe that Edmonton will stand still and let Scrivens walk away at seasons end for nothing. At this point, the Spruce Grove, Alta., natives value might be higher than ever. Scrivens leads the NHL in save percentage (.937) and is second in shutouts (four). He is also third in goals-against average (1.93). You can point to the strong numbers and credit the defensive prowess of Los Angeles Kings, who are second in goals against with 116 and with whom Scrivens played 19 of his 23 games so far this season, but that isnt the whole story. In four starts with the Oilers, albeit a small sample size, Scrivens has arguably been better. His save percentage with Edmonton - who by the way have allowed a league-high 190 goals - is .024 higher than with the Kings and hiss goals-against average is . http://www.cheapauthenticjerseys.us.com/nhl-jerseys-china_chicago-blackhawks-jersey-china/. 21 lower. His 2-2 record in Edmonton his indicative of a poor defensive squad, not his individual performances. He continues to earn opportunities to carry the load in net, but on the other hand, is goaltending really at the top of Edmontons wish list right now? With a defence that has trouble defending, does it matter who anchors the crease? Other priorities may take precedence to locking down an unproven starter. Management and ownership are running out of time and fans are running out of patience. Suffering at the bottom of the league for draft picks just wont do. Unless the Oilers choose to sign Scrivens, he remains one of the few expendable and currently valuable assets on the team. Scrivens flashes of brilliance and stretches of success were alive and well in two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and this year with the Kings, but once he came back down to Earth, so did his value. So, is Scrivens the rock in net that is going to lead the rebuilding Oilers into the future? Or is it time for Edmonton to get as much out of the streaky goaltender as possible on the trade market? As always, its Your Call! wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
