Ox - This is big step in right direction

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain says Arsenal’s place in the FA Cup semi-finals proves they are moving in the right direction.

The Gunners beat Everton 4-1 in a pulsating match at Emirates Stadium on Saturday to set up a Wembley showdown against Wigan Athletic.

Oxlade-Chamberlain played a starring role against Roberto Martinez’s side and has firmly set his sights on winning the trophy.

“Since I've been at Arsenal it's the first time we've got to Wembley and that's a big step in the right direction,” he told Arsenal Player.

“It's where we want to get to and it gives us a big chance to go on and get to the final, which is where we want to be and hopefully [we can] win it.

“We needed to get through to the next round to stand a chance of winning a trophy, so we knew how important it was and it was good that we had the game at home as it gave us a little bit extra. The fans were brilliant out there for us and we got the result we wanted.

“I thought I did OK. A few times I was sloppy on the ball but I did my best to try to recover the ball and that's something that the boss has been trying to say to us. We all make mistakes but as a team we need to work hard to get that ball back as quickly as possible.

“When I got the ball I tried to do what I usually do and make things happen for the team. But for me it's about the whole team and a lot of people stepped up and had really good performances. I think of the moment where Mikel Arteta had to take the penalty twice: that shows massive character and he's a massive character in our dressing room. His experience came out there.

“That was a massive stepping stone for us in the game and he gave us the platform to go and win the game. Mesut Ozil was fantastic and Olivier Giroud's contribution off the bench was second to none so it was a real team performance.”