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Wenger - Painful memories helped us

Arsene Wenger believes the memory of the FA Cup defeat to Blackburn last season helped his side focus on doing a professional job against Coventry City.

A first-half brace from Lukas Podolski sent the Gunners on their way before late goals from Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla completed a comprehensive win.

Wenger named a strong starting line-up and was pleased with the way his side approached the tie.

"In the last 20 minutes we looked like we could score at any time"

Arsene Wenger

"I think we did the job well," Wenger told Arsenal Player. "If we had not done it well we could of had a bad surprise.

"We have a painful memory from last year and I felt the vibes we gave out [came] from who played on the pitch.

"It was comfortable. Especially with the first half I was pleased with the way we approached our job. We dropped off a bit in the second half because we had some players coming back from injury but overall in the last 20 minutes we looked like we could score at any time."

Wenger admitted it was important to give valuable playing time to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Podolski and he praised the German's composure in front of goal.

"He's a a goalscorer and when he has a chance, he's who you want to have that chance," he said. "He has a short back lift, a fantastic shot and even in the air he is good and he has shown that tonight.

"I'm pleased for him because he comes back from a long injury like [Oxlade] Chamberlain. Both of them have been out for months, it takes you some time to get back to that level."

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