What was important was not whether it was done well, but that it was done at all. Arsenal are in the FA Cup semi-finals and, while recent history suggests that Cup wins make little difference as to whether a manager stays in the job, even in the strangely stagnant world of Arsenal defeat to a non-league team would surely have brought the end for Arsene Wenger.

There was some anxiety before Theo Walcott struck in the first-half injury-time but thereafter, this was comfortable enough for Arsenal.

Lincoln performed creditably enough and their 9000 travelling fans could salute their achievement in being the first non-league side to reach this stage of the competition in 103 years without any sense of being embarrassed or outclassed but, realistically, there was never a moment when Arsenal looked like stumbling.

Sanchez scored a sublime goal for the hosts (Getty)

The Lincoln manager Danny Cowley had told his players to think of this match as nine games of ten minutes rather than one game of 90. They got through four of them but were deep in the fifth when Walcott’s sidefoot shot in a crowded box was deflected past Paul Farman.

Arsenal had been on top before then, but not in such a way as to suggest a goal was imminent or to reflect the four-division gulf between the sides. Farman had pushed a Walcott volley against the post, but it hadn’t been a barrage.

Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Petr Cech – 5 out of 10 Had very little to do throughout, aside from one strike from Arnold. AFP/Getty Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Kieran Gibbs – 6 out of 10 Impressed going forward and his deliveries opened up the Lincoln back four. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Laurent Koscielny – 7 out of 10 Held the shape well at the back, did his job and made light work of the Lincoln attacks. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Shkodran Mustafi – 5 out of 10 Struggled with the strength of Rhead – was simply not physical enough for him. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Hector Bellerin – 6 out of 10 Impressed going forward and played with with confidence, both on and off the ball. AFP/Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Granit Xhaka – 6 out of 10 Battled relentlessly throughout and managed to keep the Lincoln midfield quiet. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Aaron Ramsey – 6 out of 10 Scored the fourth following a clever Sanchez cross. Worked well going forwards. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5 out of 10 Was subbed in the early stages of the game due to injury. AFP/Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Theo Walcott – 7 out of 10 He looked clinical today and managed to open the scoring with a strike inside the box. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Olivier Giroud – 5 out of 10 Got himself on the scoresheet, but it was a quiet display overall. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Alexis Sanchez – 7 out of 10 His late goal was an example of how he can make a goal out of nothing. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Paul Farman – 5 out of 10 Made a handful of important saves, but it’s never good to concede five. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Bradley Wood – 5 out of 10 Defended aggressively, but fairly. Was not afraid to put his body on the line. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Sean Raggett – 6 out of 10 Was well positioned and managed to defend a number of Arsenal crosses. AFP/Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Luke Waterfall - 6 out of 10 He led by example at the back, but it just was not enough. Unlucky with the own goal. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Sam Habergham – 5 out of 10 He was outclassed – struggled to keep up with The Gunners pace going forward. AFP/Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Nathan Arnold – 6 out of 10 Came close to scoring the opener, only to be denied by the finger tips of Cech. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Alex Woodyard – 6 out of 10 The energetic midfielder showed a good understanding of the game, but could have assisted his strikers more. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Alan Power – 5 out of 10 Drifted in and out of the action. Quite simply he looked outclassed. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Terry Hawkridge – 5 out of 10 Defensively he tracked back well, but he failed to provide an outlet going forward. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Matt Rhead – 6 out of 10 Bullied the Arsenal defenders at times. Made it hard work at the back. Getty Images Arsenal 5 Lincoln 0 player ratings Jack Muldoon – 6 out of 10 Chased every over the top ball, but it just was not enough to make a real impact. Getty Images

It wasn’t just a case of survival for Lincoln, either. They offered a threat, largely through the thundering presence of Matt Rhead, the 16-stone-plus centre-forward whose shirt was magnificently sweat-darkened even before the first of Cowley’s mini-games was done.

Alex Woodyard, admirably calm at the back of midfield, looked rather better than a fifth-tier footballer. It was the right-winger, Nathan Arnold, who came closest to a goal, drifting in off the flank and beating Laurent Koscielny after 28 minutes before squirting a left-footed shot goalwards and drawing a stretching save from Petr Cech.

The second half, though, was more one-sided. Olivier Giroud knocked in Hector Bellerin’s cross, Luke Waterfull turned a Kieran Gibbs cross into his own net, Alexis Sanchez curled a fourth from the edge of the box and Ramsey banged in a fifth from close range.

Rhead posed a rather unique threat to Arsenal's defence (Getty)

Quality told to the extent that by the end it felt slightly cruel: after such a run Lincoln deserved better than to end as a plaything for Sanchez.

Before kick-off there had been another of the bijou protests in which Islington specialises, perhaps a little more than a hundred fans with neatly printed banners insisting that “Every Story has an Ending” and that “Fourth Place is not a Trophy” while calling for “Wexit”.

There’s a strange sense in which such demonstrations do their cause harm, and not just because the ugliness of the neologism: such a small-scale manifestation of discontent hardly speaks of a great frothing ocean of fury waiting to overwhelm the club if their demands are not met.

Arsenal supporters continued their protests against Wenger at the match (Getty)

Yet it may be that the reason the rabble are not greatly roused is that there’s a feeling the war is over. Last Tuesday after the 5-1 defeat to Bayern the sense was almost of pity, as though there was a desire to ensure Wenger’s departure was sound-tracked not by boos and discord but by a recognition of what he has achieved.

If he does end up staying – and there is little sign that the board has lost patience – the masses may be less placid. Talk of pro-Wenger applause after 20 minutes came to nothing, although whether that was the result of indifference or poor advertising is hard to say.

Ramsey walked in Arsenal's fifth past a despairing Farman (Getty)

In terms of Wenger’s future this, anyway, was a game that would only have mattered had it been lost. His real battles are yet to come. So too are Cowley’s and Lincoln’s. The FA Cup was always a glorious bonus.