Arsenal Beat Wigan On Penalties To Book A Place In Wembley

Arsene Wenger was relieved after his side needed penalties to beat Wigan and book their place in the FA Cup final.

It could have been worse for the Gunners too after Jordi Gomez’s penalty in normal time, but Per Mertesacker ensured extra time with a late leveller.

And Wenger’s side held their nerve the better in the shootout with Santi Cazorla stroking the winning spot kick.

With the title now almost certainly out of their grasp the Frenchman was delighted to progress in the cup knowing only one win now stands between them and ending their nine-year trophy drought.

“We’re feeling relieved because we were under pressure but I expected a difficult game,” he said.

“The difference between winning and losing is very small and this game has shown it again.”

Meanwhile in the Premier League, Everton took the race for the fourth to a different level with a hard-fought victory over Sunderland.

But despite having fallen out of the top four Wenger still believes his side can do enough to qualify for the Champions League as the season reaches a climax.

“If we win our remaining games I think we will finish in front of Everton so we need to focus on the Premier League now.”