Arsenal’s Lucas Perez (second from left) celebrates his goal with teammates during the FA Cup match against Sutton on Monday.Pic/AFP
London: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain admits winning was all that mattered as Arsenal overcame non-league Sutton to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
The Gunners travelled to Gander Green Lane knowing a defeat would only add to the clamour for manager Arsene Wenger to leave at the end of the season. But Wenger’s decision to play a strong side paid dividends as Arsenal won 2-0 courtesy of goals from Lucas Perez and Theo Walcott, his 100th for the club, while Sutton performed admirably in defeat.
Arsenal will now face another Vanarama National League side for a place in the semi-finals, with Lincoln visiting the Emirates Stadium next month. Having been thrashed 5-1 at Bayern Munich last week, and falling off the pace in the Premier League title race, Oxlade-Chamberlain knows it was vital to keep going in the FA Cup.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
“The only thing we could do after a really disappointing result in midweek was to get a win,” he said. “We did that. We came here with a job to do and did that. We are into the next round of the cup and that’s all that matters.
“Obviously it is good to get back to winning ways after any loss, even if it is against a team that is a good few leagues below you, so I’m glad we did that. We have got a little break now before our next game, we needed that win and we can focus again now on the league.”
Arsenal do not play again until March 4, when they begin a potentially season-defining week with a tough league trip to Liverpool. Defeat at Anfield would leave serious doubts hanging over Arsenal’s top-four hopes, with the second leg of their Champions League Round-of-16 clash against Bayern three days later.
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