Arsenal won the FA Cup for a
record 13th time in a thrilling final by beating 10-man Chelsea, who
were denied a league and cup double.
The result means Arsene Wenger is the most successful manager in the competition's history with seven victories.
The
Gunners had controversially taken the lead in the fifth minute through
Alexis Sanchez, but the linesman had his flag up for Aaron Ramsey, who
was stood in an offside position. Ramsey did not touch the ball,
allowing Sanchez to run through and slot in.
Arsenal dominated the first half and could have doubled their
advantage but Danny Welbeck struck the woodwork with a header and Ramsey
chested the ball against the same post on the follow-up.
Victor
Moses forced David Ospina into a fine save in the second period, before
the Chelsea wing-back was given a second yellow card on 68 minutes for
diving in the penalty area.
With 14 minutes remaining, the Blues
got back into the game through Diego Costa's shot that bobbled in, but
Ramsey headed in the winner just two minutes later. The Welshman had
also scored the winning goal in the 2014 cup final against Hull.
Arsenal could have had another late on, but Mesut Ozil struck the post from inside the area.
Wenger
had major selection issues with Laurent Koscielny suspended and both
Shkodran Mustafi and Gabriel injured, so centre-back Per Mertesacker was
given his first start of the season. The German defender put in a
dominant display to keep Costa quiet.
Chelsea failed to gain
revenge for the 2002 final, which Arsenal won 2-0, and the result ends
their run of four consecutive final victories.
Arsene Wenger was right when he said the season has been a tough one for the players and fans, but they turned up today.
They
had one mindset, to walk off as winners, and that was clear to see.
They played the better football and wanted it more.
The Chelsea players
were hanging their heads but they had an unbelievable season. On the
day, not enough players turned up, they did not deserve to win.
Arsenal
defender Rob Holding had a fantastic semi-final too and he was under
the spotlight, as was Per Mertesacker. Both players put on a huge
display. What a performance Mesut Ozil put in too. Man for man, they
were much better than Chelsea.
I cannot believe how ordinary
Arsenal made Chelsea look. The Premier League champions could not handle
Arsenal's footballing ability in the middle of the pitch. They could
not get any rhythm or get on the ball. It was their best display of the
season.
No comments: