Olivier Giroud believes Arsenal can end their nine-year trophy drought and win the FA Cup after his brace helped the Gunners to quarter-final victory over Everton on Saturday.
The 27-year-old was introduced in the 61st minute and went on to hit two late goals in as many minutes, putting the tie beyond Roberto Martinez's visiting side.
And after booking their spot at Wembley, Giroud – who is relishing his first trip to the national stadium - said he sees the cup run as a perfect opportunity to replicate the feat of Arsenal’s 2005 FA Cup-winning squad.
Giroud told L’Equipe: “I've never played at Wembley and I can’t wait to get there. Let’s see what the [FA Cup] draw holds for us. It’s a good opportunity to win a trophy this year.
"I’m very happy, it’s important for a striker to score. There were two good assists from Bac [Sagna] and Mesut [Ozil] and I was not far off my first hat-trick. Maybe next time.”
Giroud has been drafted in and out of the Arsenal team in recent weeks, with Yaya Sanogo a preferred started on some occasions following reports of an alleged affair.
But the France international has put the bad press behind him and vowed to bounce back stronger as Arsenal scrap for silverware in the run-in.
He added: “I would like to forget all that. Some things were true, some were false. But what does not kill you makes you stronger. I’m convinced that what happened recently will make me stronger. It will give me 10 years [of experience] in my head.
“I will be stronger on the pitch, too. Every time I was prompted to react on the pitch I did. That is all I have to do - my job and taking care of my family. The pitch for me was an outlet. You have to be strong in your head. I talked to the coach [Wenger] and he was really important. There was also a dialogue with [France boss] Didier Deschamps."
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