Gunners make history!

Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa

Arsenal made history on Saturday becoming the first club in English football to win the FA Cup for a 12^th time, with an exceptional performance against Aston Villa.

In recent years the Gunners have struggled to produce their best on the big occasions, especially when it came to playing at Wembley.

Arsenal always seemed to struggle with the weight of expectation on their shoulders and the tag of overwhelming favourites. As a result, their supporters have endured a nerve jangling and sometimes tortuous time whenever their side has played underneath the Wembley arc.

In Saturday’s FA Cup final however, the Gunners grew in stature. There were no nerves or self-doubt, this was their cup and they weren’t about to let Aston Villa take it off them. Every single player performed to their full potential to put on one of the most complete and comprehensive performances in the history of the cup final.

Wenger stuck to his policy of playing Szczesny in the FA Cup, with the Polish goalkeeper making his first start since the semi-final. Such was the level of performance from those in front of him; Szczesny didn’t have much to do in the way of shot stopping, with Villa’s only two shots on goal blocked by defenders. However on the few occasions he was called upon, Szczesny came off his line in dominant fashion and won the aerial battles against Benteke whenever Villa crossed the ball into the Arsenal penalty area.

Centre backs Koscielny and Mertesacker were outstanding as they shackled Benteke superbly; outmuscling him and stealing the ball from him, preventing the big Belgian from receiving any service whatsoever and therefore completely nullifying his influence on the game. Both central defenders also worked brilliantly with their full backs, Monreal and the young Bellerin to deny Villa opportunities to get in behind the defence and unleash dangerous crosses into the box.

In front of the defence the always brilliant Francis Coquelin once again shielded the back four perfectly. Whenever Villa threatened to build an attack, Coquelin would spring out of nowhere to block a forward pass, or make a telling tackle, winning possession back for his team and passing it to a teammate, to set Arsenal on their way once more. More often than not the pass from Coquelin would arrive at the feet of the magician Santi Cazorla, who pulled the strings from his deep lying position, having more touches of the ball than any other player and winning the man of the match award.

The front four were equally impressive. Wenger’s decision to start with Theo Walcott up front may have been a bit of a gamble and raised a few eyebrows before kick-off but it was an inspired decision. Villa just could not live with Walcott’s movement. The Englishman’s darting runs across the Villa centre backs was constantly opening up space for both Sanchez and Ramsey to exploit from the wide areas, pinning back the Villa full backs, ensuring they could not get forward to support any attack. In addition the threat of Walcott running in behind the Villa defence with his supreme speed, forced  them to sit back slightly deeper than they would have liked. As a result, Villa could not press the Arsenal players and the likes of Ozil were afforded the space to really express themselves. The German has often been criticised for not performing on the big occasion, but he too was exceptional on Saturday, showcasing his world class quality every time he had the ball.

In their previous Wembley encounters Arsenal have made the fatal error of not starting the game with the right tempo and allowing their opponents to settle. On Saturday however, from the very first whistle, the Gunners did not give Villa any time to breathe. Once in possession, the passing from Arsenal was crisp, precise and penetrative. As a result, Villa struggled to get out of their own half and there was a sense that an Arsenal goal was just a formality.

Villa could not cope with the movement and swift combination play of Arsenal’s attacking play. The first real chance of game almost saw Kosielny get his name on the score sheet for the second successive final. A ball played through to Sanchez from Cazorla, saw the Chilean’s cross headed well by Koscielny and back across goal, forcing Given into a fine acrobatic save. Ramsey also almost achieved the feat of scoring in successive finals, first seeing a near post effort squirm just wide of goal, before being released in the box, but his effort flew over the bar.

The Gunners were knocking on the door and couldn’t have come any closer than their next effort which was cleared off the line. Once again Cazorla began the move, finding Ozil, whose cross found Walcott with the goal at his mercy. Unfortunately Kieran Richardson was positioned on the goal line to block a certain goal.

Although Arsenal were in complete control, the more chances were missed, the more the tension increased as thoughts of it not being the Gunners day began to form in the minds of the Arsenal faithful. However those fears were allayed five minutes before half time. Nacho Monreal was released on the left flank and sent in a beautiful cross towards the back post, where Alexis Sanchez showed great determination to out jump the Villa defence, heading the ball backwards for Theo Walcott to run onto it and fire a first time effort into the back of the net. The Englishman showed tremendous technique to hit the ball true and it flew through the eye of a needle and past Given at the near post. This was a wonderful moment for Walcott, having missed last year’s final through an injury picked up in the third round of the same competition, he deserved the adulation he received from the fans and players alike.   

The second half began as the first had ended, with Arsenal players and fans celebrating wildly. Alexis Sanchez rubber stamped a wonderful first season in English football with one of the greatest goals ever scored in an FA Cup final. The Chilean picked the ball up on the left flank and carried it inside before unleashing an unstoppable, powerful drive which swerved, dipped and flew past Given, right into the roof of the net. It was a fantastic goal and a beautiful moment too for a player who has become an instant Arsenal hero.

The Gunners were now in complete control and minutes later were celebrating their third goal of the afternoon. This time a Cazorla corner perfectly picked out Mertesacker, who had evaded his marker, to head home the simplest of goals and put the result being any doubt. Arsenal could now just relax and enjoy the occasion, passing the ball amongst themselves and keeping it away from Villa. However substitutes Oxlade-Chamberlain and Giroud had other ideas and as the game entered the last minute of stoppage time, they combined for a fourth. Oxlade-Chamberlain creating space for himself on the right before a low cross was steered home by Giroud. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Scenes of jubilation greeted the final whistle as the yellow and blue half of Wembley wildly acclaimed their heroes after one of the most complete FA Cup final performances in the history of the game. Arsene Wenger was glowing with pride and rightly so, after becoming the most successful manager in the competition’s history. There is now a real feeling that the Gunners are on the cusp of something truly special. The spirit and togetherness of the squad was epitomised when Mertesacker insisted club captain Arteta lift the cup with him and it is this spirit, coupled with the strength and belief they have gained from achieving back to back FA Cup wins that can take this squad of players far next season. In the post-match interviews, the players and manager immediately turned their attention to the next campaign as all signalled their intent to challenge for the title next season. They are certainly not far, possibly only two fine signings away from resuming their rightful place at the top of the English game. After years of pain, the future is exciting for Arsenal. Who to be a Gooner!!