Arsenal end Lincoln City's dream with 5-0 thrashing

London: Arsenal eased into the semi-finals of the FA Cup by defeating spirited Lincoln City team 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Goals from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud either side of half-time, with the last half-hour reduced to a possession exercise for the home team and a dogged rearguard for the men from the National League, reports the guardian.

Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey and an own goal from Lincoln skipper Luke Waterfall added the tally.

Lincoln became the first minor league side for more than a century to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals when they knocked out top-flight Burnley in round five, having disposed of Championship outfits Ipswich Town and Brighton and Hove Albion.

The National League leaders even went close to taking the lead when Nathan Arnold's shot was saved by Petr Cech.

It looked as though Lincoln would reach the interval on level terms but Arsenal broke through when Giroud, almost invisible in the first half, laid the ball back for Walcott whose shot deflected past Paul Farman. Giroud side-footed Arsenal's second in the 53rd minute and shortly after any hopes of a Lincoln comeback was snuffed out when Waterfall turned Kieran Gibbs' cross into his own goal.

Arsenal fielded their strongest team, with Mesut Ozil still off-colour and confined to the bench. They were bitty and a little flat in the early minutes. Aaron Ramsey shot wide under no pressure from Hector Bellerín's cut-back, the rushed finish of a man with one goal for Arsenal in the past year.