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. [url=https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/]Soccer Jerseys Outlet[/url] . In a game that Arsenal dominated from the start, Podolski pu

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. Soccer Jerseys Outlet . 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 Soccer Jerseys . As analysts we do the same thing, so here are some observations from week one. First there were two major upsets. I should say, major upsets in the eyes of the fans and prognosticators. Soccer Jerseys China .C. -- Authorities say the brother of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White has been shot and killed outside a South Carolina nightclub. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ .com) - Avery Bradley scored 21 points and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets, 89-81.Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Chandler Parsons poured in 22 points in only 26 minutes and the Dallas Mavericks had little trouble with the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, rolling to a 98-75 win at Target Center. Parsons finished 9-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-6 from 3-point range, while the Mavericks hit on 11-of-27 shots from beyond the arc in handing the Timberwolves a ninth straight loss on their home court. Minnesota, in contrast, went a poor 2-of-15 on 3-point tries and shot just 34.8 percent overall. It felt like we were playing with deflated balls tonight, Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders joked in reference to the controversy surrounding the New England Patriots recent win in the AFC Championship Game. We couldnt shoot at all tonight. Dirk Nowitzki added 16 points and nine rebounds in Dallas third consecutive victory, which improved them to 16-7 on the road. We have a veteran team. No crowd is going to get in our head or make us play out of character, Parsons said. I dont understand how we dont play better at home. Andrew Wiggins paced the Timberwolves with 18 points, with Thaddeus Young tallying 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in defeat. Nikola Pekovic, playing his first game since Minnesotas loss in Dallas on Nov. 15, had 14 points in 23 minutes in his return. Minnesota was able to stay with the Mavericks through a quarter of play, trailing just 24-21 after Nowitzki knocked down a 3-pointer near the end of the period. Dallas completely dominated the second, hhowever, en route to building a 59-38 lead at halftime. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys. A pair of Devin Harris triples closed out an 8-2 Dallas run to begin the frame and the Mavs finished the quarter on a tear, outscoring the Timberwolves by a 19-6 count over the final 5 1/2 minutes. Parsons accounted for 10 of the first 12 points of the surge, the last three on a long jumper that extended the lead to 52-34 with 3:07 to go in the half. Young hit a jumper on the other end, but five straight points from Dallas Al- Farouq Aminu had the Mavericks up by 21 just moments later. Theyre an offensive juggernaut, Saunders said of Dallas. I call it popcorn basketball and the basketball is popping all around. Thats what weve got to get to down the road. Parsons had 19 points by the break, 13 of which came in the second quarter. Minnesota got as close as 62-45 following a Robbie Hummel 3-pointer with 7:35 left in the third quarter, but Parsons sank another triple and Nowitzki finished an 8-0 spurt with a trey to increase the margin to 25 points. The Mavericks took a 75-57 lead into the fourth quarter and were ahead by as many as 25 points in the final stanza. Game Notes Minnesotas nine-game home losing streak is the clubs longest since a 10-game skid from Feb. 10-March 28, 2010 ... Pekovic had missed 31 consecutive games with an ankle injury ... The Mavericks have now won in 13 of their last 16 visits to the Target Center ... Dallas Monta Ellis recorded just seven points on 3-of-12 shooting. ' ' '