The 27-year-old helped fire the Gunners to the FA Cup semi-final and believes his side can end their trophy drought, and also says he has toughened up following recent allegations

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud is looking forward to the FA Cup semi-final draw after his two goals from the bench helped the Gunners beat Everton 4-1 on Saturday.

The Frenchman was introduced in the 61st minute and sealed victory for Arsene Wenger’s side, finishing off passes from Bacary Sagna and Mesut Ozil in the final 10 minutes.

And Giroud believes the victory will motivate the club, who have gone nine years without winning a notable piece of silverware, to break their duck.

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.”

The Frenchman has been in and out of Wenger’s side after a national newspaper published photographs of him at a team hotel having an affair.

Yet Giroud has responded to the added scrutiny over his off-field activities and says it has made him tougher mentally.

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.”