BY Rodney Hinds.
ARSENAL CREATED history as they beat Aston Villa 4-0 to win the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 30.
Goals from Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Per Mertsesacker and Olivier Giroud ensured Arsenal retained the FA Cup and rewrote the history books.
The victory saw Arsenal notch a record 12th win in the most famous domestic cup in the world and in the process and boss Arsene Wenger became the manager with the joint most FA Cup successes with half a dozen to his name.
Arsenal were in their yellow and blue strip and meant business from the first whistle to the last. Villa were never in this match. Never.
As was the case last year, Arsenal had their first-choice captain missing; this time round Per Mertesacker led the side in the absence of Mikel Arteta who has been plagued with injury for much of the campaign.
The giant Mertesacker and his central partner Laurent Koscielny snuffed out Villa’s main attacking threat – Christian Benteke – which left Arsenal’s classy and dominant midfield to run the show and supply the team’s strikers.
The Gunners were firing earlier. They were full of verve and energy and were crisp in the tackle. The message today was that they would not be beaten. Villa were chasing shadows and collected three bookings as they took a chasing.
An early Santi Cazorla cross caused panic in the Villa box and it was a sign if things to come. Villa ‘keeper Shay Given was kept busy and did well to keep out a Laurent Koscielny header after successive corners.
Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin was enjoying himself and supplied a fierce cross that Aaron Ramsey put just past the post from a few yards out.
Ramsey should also have done better moments later too when after being set up by Mesut Ozil, however the Welshman fired over with his left foot.
But Arsenal were testing Villa all the while and Walcott’s shot was kept out by a desperate tackle yards from his goal by Jores Okore.
ON THE MARK: Theo Walcott scored the Gunners’ opening goal
However, Walcott did give his team the lead in the 40th minute. After a long range pass by Francis Coquelin, left-back Nacho Monreal fired in a cross which was headed back into the danger area by Sanchex and Walcott was on hand to fire home with his left foot.
Villa manager Tim Sherwood and his men must still have had hope as they came out for the second period. They were only a goal down and surely had to play better.
That optimism was snuffed out when Sanchez fired home a 25 yard thunderbolt ten minutes after the restart. The goal deflated the Midlanders, the cup was lost.
Villa responded by bringing on Gabriel Agbonlahor; it was too little too late.
The Arsenal fans in the 89, 283 crowd sensed that the celebrations were not too far away. Thereafter the north London outfit toyed with their opponents and had numerous opportunities to score.
Mertesacker headed home unchallenged in the 62nd minute and late substitute Olivier Giroud flicked home his team’s fourth.
The question pre-match was could the often brittle Arsenal deliver while the pressure was on? They did so with aplomb today.
Cazorla, Ramsey and Francis Coquelin were all immense. The hard-working Sanchez and Walcott were sharp as razors while German playmaker Mesut Ozil was sublime with his passing at timers.
For once, Arsenal performed on the big stage as their fans know they can. Two successive FA Cup wins is the perfect platform for a Premier League title next term.
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