LONDON -- Arsenal avoided FA Cup embarrassment against second-tier club Wigan on Saturday, coming from behind against the holder and winning a penalty shootout to reach the final where the London club will be looking to end a nine-year trophy drought. Josh Jackson Jersey . After extra time ended 1-1, Arsenals players scored all of their penalties and Lukasz Fabianski made two vital saves in a 4-2 shootout victory over Wigan in this meeting of the fifth-place teams in the Premier League and League Championship. Wigan went in front in regular time from the penalty spot at Wembley Stadium. Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker conceded the spot kick that Jordi Gomez converted but the German made amends by heading in the equalizer that sent the game into extra time. "In the first half we were a bit timid," Mertesacker said. "A lot of people questioned (our character) recently but how we came back today we proved a lot." A year after winning its first major trophy by beating Manchester City and then again in this years semifinals, Wigan couldnt produce another upset against a Premier League power -- much to Arsene Wengers relief. "It was important mentally," the Arsenal manger said. "If you imagine the consequences of going out tonight, it would have been quite worrying." With the second half of his 18-year reign defined by the lack of silverware, Wenger desperately needs to collect a first trophy since the 2005 FA Cup success when Arsenal returns to Wembley for the final. Arsenal will discover on Sunday whether it will face Premier League side Hull or third-tier club Sheffield United on May 17. It could be a bittersweet end to the season, though, with Arsenal at risk of missing out on the Champions League after 16 successive years. Just before kickoff at Wembley, Arsenal was dislodged from the fourth Champions League place by Everton, which beat Sunderland 1-0. What a slump it has been for Wengers side, having spent so much of the opening months of the season on top of the league. The failure to strengthen the squad in the January transfer window has come back to bite Wenger. How differently things could have turned out if he had brought in an additional striker. Instead, Wenger on Saturday was relying for goals on 21-year-old striker Yaya Sanogo, who was starting just his fourth game since joining on a free transfer before this season. Olivier Giroud was on the bench. Sanogos lack of cutting edge and pace in front of goal quickly became apparent. The Frenchman was denied by Scott Carson from close range after five minutes and again just before halftime when his unconvincing first touch to control the ball allowed the goalkeeper to thwart the attempt. If there was anything to reassure a dreary Arsenal side failing to produce the fluid football Wenger champions, it was Wigans inability to provide much attacking menace. So Arsenal gifted Wigan the opening to go in front. Mertesacker slid in with a lunge to cut out Callum McManamans run and the forward went to ground in the penalty area. After a delay while Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal received treatment elsewhere on the pitch, Gomez, a product of Barcelonas youth system, sent the spot kick beyond the reach of Lukasz Fabianski. The anger among Arsenal fans who have grown accustomed to failure was clear: Jeers greeted Wengers decision to bring Giroud on, not for Sanogo but Lukas Podolski in the 68th. The equalizer proved elusive. After Carsons save from Kieran Gibbs header sent the ball drifting toward the goal, Wigan defender Stephen Crainey scooped the ball off the line. Wigans goal was finally breached in the 82nd when it couldnt fully clear a corner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain raised the ball over the defence and Mertesacker headed in at the far post. It was a lucky escape for Arsenal, which was denied a winner in extra time when Oxlade-Chamberlain hit the crossbar but had better luck in the shootout. Fabianski saved Wigans first two penalties by Gary Caldwell and Jack Collison, while Arteta, Kim Kallstrom, Giroud and Cazorla all netted for the Gunners. "We are walking out of Wembley on paper as losers but in our own mind as winners," said Wigan manager Uwe Rosler, whose focus returns to gaining promotion back to the Premier League. Dexter Williams Jersey .K. Subban has picked the right time of the year to go on an offensive tear. Walt Kiesling Jersey . -- Top-ranked Stacy Lewis birdied the last three holes and five of the final six Thursday for an 8-under 64 and a share of the lead with Mi Jung Hur in the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. http://www.custompackersjersey.com/custom-jamaal-williams-jersey-large-1492r.html . Klose has a bruised pelvic bone and abdominal muscle problems but team doctors are trying to get him fit in time for the match. Bender has a hamstring injury. Germany is already without half-dozen players, due to injury or bad form.PHILADELPHIA - Heated rivals for years, the Flyers and Penguins scrapped through the kind of game that should have been settled on pay-per-view. Claude Giroux delivered the biggest blow of all, scoring 3:57 into overtime to lift Philadelphia over Pittsburgh 3-2 in a fight-filled game Tuesday night. After a throwback clash that featured one ejection and 93 penalty minutes, perhaps this one should have been decided by the judges scorecards rather than goals. It was a game we needed to kind of get a little dirty, play together, Giroux said. We literally fought for each other. There was a lot of emotions. Hopefully, we can build on this. Philadelphia winger Zac Rinaldo was tossed and faces a likely suspension for plowing Kris Letang into the glass. Flyers All-Star and NHL scoring leader Jake Voracek threw a series of fists in his first fight of the season. And Pittsburgh forward Steve Downie gave a flippant wave to a jeering crowd as he skated to the locker room after his role in a brawl. With a rabid crowd going wild with each punch, the teams fought four times in the second period for a total of 66 penalty minutes. Pittsburghs Beau Bennett and Philadelphias Chris VandeVelde scored in the third to make it 2-all. The fisticuffs started after Rinaldo sped toward Letang alone along the boards late in the first period. Rinaldo rammed his right shoulder into Letangs back and slammed the defenceman into the glass. Letang crumpled to the ice and was down for several minutes. He slowly got up, hunched over and skated straight to the locker room. He did not return. Rinaldo was slapped with a 5-minute major, which the Flyers killed off, and a game misconduct for boarding. One of the NHLs most penalized players, Rinaldo will surely sit out some games once the Flyers return from the All-Star break. He earned a four-game suspension last season for an illegal check to the head of Buffalo defenceman Chad Ruhwedel, who suffered a concussion. Rinaldo said he expected a suspension. I changed the whole game, man, Rinaldo said, tongue-in-cheek. Who knows what the game would have been like if I didnt do what I did? While Rinaldos check was certainly the most vicious hit of the game, it was just the start of the violence. Penguins centre Zach Still squared off with Flyers forward Michael Raffl in the first bout of the second period. Sterling Sharpe Jersey. Both helmets went flying and they tussled on the ice for a few moments before it was broken up. Voracek and defenceman Rob Scuderi tangled in the second fight. Voracek threw several rights to Scuderis head that sent him to his knees. Voracek waved his arms toward the fired-up crowd of 19,982 that roared in appreciation as he skated to the penalty box. I saw (Dave) Hammer Schultz before the game, so I wanted to show him I got something, Voracek said. Schultz is in the Flyers Hall of Fame and was one of the great fighters for the 1970s Broad Street Bullies teams. He had to appreciate what he saw the rest of the period. Downie, a former Flyer, mixed it up with southpaw Luke Schenn in the third fight of the second. Flyers forward Pierre-Edouard Bellamare clocked Bobby Farnham right in the kisser, drawing gasps from the crowd before the Penguins forward recovered to dish out some shots of his own. That period was fun, Flyers forward R.J. Umberger said. The crowd was definitely into it. Its good to have that and have them have your back. Its a loud crowd when they do. Oh, right, the goals. The Penguins took the first 13 shots of the game, but the Flyers scored first on just their second attempt when Schenns wrister beat Thomas Greiss midway through the first. As soon as you get on the ice, you really dont even have to look at the other teams jersey, Schenn said. You kind of already know who you are playing just by the atmosphere out there. Its unbelievable. Our fans are crazy about the Penguins and it seems to bring out the best of us. Its a great rivalry. Chris Kunitz evened the score with a short-handed goal against Ray Emery in the second. The Penguins went 0 for 6 on the power play. With that many opportunities and the skill we have, we should make them pay for that, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. NOTES: Crosby was held without a point against the Flyers for one of the few times in his career. He entered with 75 points in 49 career games against the Flyers. Thats his second-highest point total against one team behind the 88 he has against the Islanders. ' ' '