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.cheapjerseysjustwholesale.com/]NHL Jerseys[/url] . In a game that Arsenal dominated from the start, Podolski put

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. NHL Jerseys . 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. Stitched Jerseys . The 23-year-old Poland international is back as first choice at Arsenal after losing his regular spot in the team on occasions over the last three seasons. College Jerseys . -- Maxence Parrot of Bromont, Que. https://www.cheapjerseysjustwholesale.com/ . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left.TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger have the latest ahead of the NHL Draft on potential Jason Spezza trades, Dave Bolland heading to free agency, Joe Thornton and Ryan Kesler, and more. Thirteen years ago the Ottawa Senators drafted Jason Spezza. Now are they going to trade Spezza on Draft Day or perhaps even before? Bob McKenzie: They certainly hope so, and the talk has picked up the past 24-48 hours to the point now where there are four teams talking to the Senators about Spezza. Three of those teams are in the Western Conference and we know Anaheim and St. Louis are among that group. One mystery team in the Eastern Conference has entered the fray which makes things a little interesting. Keep in mind Spezza has a list of 10 teams that he cannot be traded to and there are four Eastern Conference teams that are on that list including Florida, Carolina, Columbus, and the New York Islanders. In a perfect world the Senators would like to have this done before or at the Draft; they would like to get a first-round pick in Fridays draft as part of the compensation for Spezza. David Bolland is set to become a free agent July 1 but Toronto has been looking at getting a deal done. Now they know exactly what he wants, is it too steep? Darren Dreger: He wants maximum value and as far as the Maple Leafs are concerned, yes its too steep. Its believed that hes asking for the maximum eight years to stay with the Leafs and at $4.9 million per year. Thats a tough hit. At 28-years-old, Bollands earned his right to unrestricted free agency. I believe the Leafs would be more comfortable in that 5-6 year range so its very likely Bolland is going to unrestricted free agency. Hes not healthy yet but hes well on his way and he hopes and believes hell be at 100% as early as training camp. Are the Edmonton Oilers in pursuit of a centre? Dreger: Yes, theyre looking for a centre and a defenceman and theyre very active. Theyre throwing out some considerable assets as well; we know that the Oilers third overall pick is very much in play. And Sam Gagners name seems to suurface annually at the draft, hes also trade bait for Edmonton. MLB Jerseys. And the Oilers are still in the game for the first overall pick with Florida. Will Joe Thornton go anywhere? McKenzie: Not right now. Its a dicey situation, I think in a perfect world the San Jose Sharks would like to try and trade Thornton and begin a rebuilding process using the return as a centerpiece for it. But as of right now, Thornton has no intention of waiving his no-move clause to go anywhere. Theres no list whatsoever, and if there was a list I suspect it would include teams the Sharks probably wouldnt want to trade him to like the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, or Chicago Blackhawks. In the meantime Thornton, as the captain of the team, is meeting with the core group of players and trying to pick up the pieces and carry on but well see what happens. So no list for Thornton but there definitely is a list for Ryan Kesler… McKenzie: There is a list of six teams for Kesler and the two teams that seem to be the most interested in him right now are the Blackhawks and Ducks; thats not news. Theres nothing imminent on the Kesler front because I get the sense that Anaheim and Chicago believe theyre the only two teams in the running, therefore the offers arent good enough for what Vancouver wants to do. Vancouver isnt going to do this deal if they dont get the right amount, or at least not at the draft. And the other thing for the Canucks, like a lot of teams, theyre trying to move up and get the first overall pick. Right now Panthers GM Dale Tallon has three legitimate offers, which is up from one. But dont confuse legitimate offers with a deal that he would absolutely make right now. Right now its more likely hell be using the first overall pick to make a selection than trading it. Is Dan Boyle about to get a lot of legitimate offers? Dreger: It was a brisk day in the Boyle camp, at least eight teams have made contact with Boyles representatives, and many of those teams will meet with his representatives on Thursday and that of course includes the Maple Leafs. ' ' '