“There are many ways to skin a cat and by hook or crook that’s what I’ll try to do to him. If he tries to run me in the channels then I’m smashing him.”
Lincoln City defender Bradley Wood made plenty of headlines with his pre-match threat aimed in the direction of Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez.
Wood, renowned for his no-nonsense style of defending, proudly announced to the Daily Mail that he would not be intimidated by the Gunners’ superstars ahead of Saturday’s glamour FA Cup quarter-final at the Emirates.
The Imps did themselves proud for the majority of the first half, as they held out against their Premier League opponents for the best part of 45 minutes.
But Arsenal ran away with the game after the break and racked up a 5-0 scoreline to down the non-league side.
And while most neutrals were hoping that Lincoln could at least find a goal to make their trip to North London worthwhile, Arsenal supporters were absolutely ruthless in reminding Wood of what he had said he would do to Sanchez.
Sanchez is a gooners 4-0 Arsenal pic.twitter.com/3e4YK0GMiA
(TerjeAFCx)— AIS Regiönal Depök (@AIS_DEPOK) March 11, 2017
The Chilean scored the home side’s fourth of the game and we’ll give you one guess whose tackle he evaded as he cut inside and curled the ball into the back of the net.
Non-Arsenal fans sat back and admired the finish while Arsenal supporters couldn’t help but queue up to remind a certain someone of what he’d said prior to kick-off.
That player that missed the tackle was the one who said he would “smash Sanchez” ????????
— Edd Powell (@Eddpowell) March 11, 2017
Thought he was gonna smash Sanchez ahahha
— thömas (@thomassss29) March 11, 2017
Wasn’t that guy going to ‘smash’ Sanchez?
— Bergkamp & Bergkamp (@Orangeiceman10) March 11, 2017
I know he wants to smash the shit out of Sanchez but remember to get the ball! ?⚽️??
— Ethan Mosely (@ethan_mosely) March 11, 2017
“If Sanchez goes past me I’ll smash him” – yeah, looks like it pal.
— Tommy Burton (@TommyBurtonAFC) March 11, 2017
Who was the nobody that said he would smash Sanchez? Well…seems he now has a brand new asshole courtesy of Sanchez
— Gooner Shaz (@arabishe) March 11, 2017
That left back said he was gonna ‘smash’ Sanchez and now Sanchez is just taking the piss ahahahah mug
— Jude (@Jude_Heffer) March 11, 2017
@SeanRaggett Well that was awkward? Saying you’ll smash @Alexis_Sanchez and he ghosts you to ping one in??? #arsenal
— Bob lyle (@boblyle72) March 11, 2017
Take it that Lincoln player, who said he’d smash Sanchez if he ran into his channels, didn’t do that then. https://t.co/TSNfGrT2Kj
— OleOleOle (@BrockSolidBlue) March 11, 2017
Wonder if he regrets the “ill smash Sanchez” line
— Chris Waterhouse (@Waterhouse28) March 11, 2017
Sanchez embarrassed the defender who said he’d smash him if he tried running last him lol
— ️ (@RoguesLFC) March 11, 2017
@LincolnCity_FC tell Bradley he needs to catch @Alexis_Sanchez to ‘smash’ him ✌️
— Sam Essam (@Essam_PT) March 11, 2017
Bradley “ill smash Sanchez” Wood
Get near him first
— Matthew Lond (@ml__1985) March 11, 2017