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Despite a frustrating start, Arsenal managed to get through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a victory over non-league Lincoln City. The whole country was hoping that the Imps would continue their remarkable cup run with a victory at the Emirates Stadium, but it was always going to be unlikely. They deserve a lot of credit for their performance in North London as they played well for the first half especially. However, it will be the Premier League side that will be lining up at Wembley in a few weeks’ time. Here are three things that we learnt on Saturday.
The fans revolt could be a problem for Arsenal during the run-in
There were demonstrations before the match as a section of the Arsenal support continue to show their displeasure with Arsene Wenger and the team’s lack of achievement on the pitch. One banner read ‘Wexit’ and there is a growing feeling that the Frenchman needs to leave his post at the end of the season. The regulars on Arsenal Fan TV will continue to drive home their message about Wenger and there are signs that the discontent could be seeping into the rest of the support. This is certainly the most uncomfortable period that the Gunners’ boss has encountered in recent seasons and it is clearly having an impact on the players.
Although their class did show in the end, it was a competitive first 45 minutes and Lincoln managed to go toe-to-toe with their more illustrious opposition. The Gunners were nervous on the ball and created few chances during the first half. It was crucial that they got the goal before the break as the atmosphere would have been poisonous had they gone in level. The club needs to do something to put a lid on the demonstrations from supporters before they get out of control, as they could have a negative effect on the team.