FA Cup: Arsenal beat Coventry 4-0 to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup

Lukas Podolski notched a first-half brace as Arsenal beat Coventry 4-0 to progress into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The German forward put the hosts ahead in the 15th minute from a Mesut Ozil pass and doubled the advantage 12 minutes later after fellow compatriot Per Mertesacker headed on a corner.

Coventry improved vastly after the break and Leon Clarke hit the post but Arsenal substitute Olivier Giroud made sure of the win by adding a third with six minutes remaining after a Kieran Gibbs pull back.

Fellow substitute Santi Carzorla put gloss on the result from close range with a minute remaining after Joe Murphy could only parry a shot into his path.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had named a strong starting XI, which included club-record signing Mesut Ozil.

Wenger, who also handed a senior debut to 16-year-old midfield prospect Gedion Zelalem - not even born when he first took charge at Highbury - will now regroup his squad for the Premier League trip to Southampton on Tuesday having cruised through without really getting out of second gear.

Intentions

Arsenal showed their intentions from kick-off, as Jack Wilshere and Podolski both went close before the Gunners swept into the lead on 15 minutes when the German forward rounded the goalkeeper to score from a tight angle.

Coventry captain Carl Baker forced a good save from Arsenal number two Lukasz Fabianski before Podolski headed in a second at the far post from a corner.

The 5,000 Sky Blues fans held up banners protesting against their move of 'home' matches down to Northampton before a part floodlight failure saw supporters across the Emirates Stadium use their smart phones as torches.

Coventry forward Clarke - who has handed in a transfer request - was put clear into the Arsenal penalty area at the start of the second half, but his shot at the near post was saved by the feet of Fabianski and he then fired against the post having been set up 18 yards out.

There was a brief stoppage when a Coventry fan came on to the pitch, wearing a T-shirt which read "Sisu Out" in protest against the club's owners.

The tempo of the match dropped during the closing stages, which saw main striker Giroud net his 13th goal of the season from close range before Cazorla - whose double sank Fulham last weekend - crashed in a fourth.