Gunners fired up for title tilt... again
This was, after all, an historic moment for the Frenchman. He surpassed even the achievements of Alex Ferguson in FA Cup history after securing a record-equalling sixth trophy as Arsenal manager. They, subsequently, became the most successful club to grace the competition as they made it 12 final victories.
Unlike last season’s edgy, somewhat fortuitous victory over Hull City — a triumph which ended the nine-year silverware drought which had gnawed away at the stunning legacy set by Wenger in the first decade, this was a nerveless exhibition of poise and potency — with their trademark dash of panache.
Such was their dominance, it actually made for a rather disappointingly damp spectacle. Not that that will have concerned Wenger a jot.
He can reasonably claim this has been another very successful campaign.
Yet this triumph over a lacklustre Aston Villa side will only placate only some of the doubters. They may have finished a place higher this season (third), yet the gap between them and the eventual title winners (Chelsea) actually increased by five points in a campaign in which, Jose Mourinho’s team aside, standards at the top have been alarmingly mediocre.
Nor have the Gunners looked any closer to genuinely challenging in the Champions League — the trophy that continues to elude Wenger.
The sceptics will, no doubt, remain then.
For now at least, though, has Wenger answered enough of those questions? “I think he has,” midfielder Jack Wilshere said.
“The big one for us the Premier League. We’ve progressed this year, we’ve finished third and got automatic Champions League qualification. We haven’t got that big game at the start of next season. Next year we feel that we can really push Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United for the title.
“He’s done fantastic this year for all of us. Does he seem more relaxed? I think so. That first trophy in nine years was a big mental boost.
“This season we’ve made a big step mentally. I remember in previous years going to big games — Man United, City, Chelsea, thinking ‘have we really got a chance today?’ But this year from the first big game, Man City at home (2-2), Man City away (a 2-0 win), we have done well. We always thought we had a chance. Even United away, we got a point.
“That’s a big step that we needed to do so next year we feel like we’re in a better position.
“It’s different to last year when we had the pressure of no trophy for so many years and it was almost as if we had to win it. Of course we had to win here as well but we could enjoy it more this time and take in the atmosphere and that’s what we did.
“It was a comfortable victory and that was because we’d won the trophy last year, there wasn’t so much pressure and we knew if we matched their intensity we’d have the quality to win the game. We did that.”
In such control, the only surprise was that it took Arsenal 40 minutes to open the scoring as Theo Walcott — justifying his start ahead of Olivier Giroud — pounced with a sweet volley after Alexis Sanchez nodded down Nacho Monreal’s cross.
Villa never got time to gain a grip on proceedings after the interval as by the 50th minute their opponents had doubled their advantage courtesy of Sanchez’s stunning long-range strike — a goal certain to go down as one of the cup final greats.
Tim Sherwood’s side looked every inch a side who narrowly escaped relegation — that will be the only crumb of consolation for the manager as he reflects on a disappointing day — and Per Mertesacker capitalised on some slack marking to head home a third. Further gloss was added in the dying moments when Giroud swept home fellow substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cross.
It could get worse before it gets better for Villa, with the likes of Liverpool and ManCity circling for striker Christian Benteke, whom it has emerged has a £32.5m buyout clause. If this was to be Benteke’s Villa farewell, it was a bitterly disappointing one for the Belgium international who, after scoring 12 goals in his previous 12 matches, failed to pose any sort of threat.
“I would like to thank the fans for their support throughout the season because we had some hard times. It wasn’t the result we hoped for,” Benteke said.
““I think it’s a big disappointment for everyone, when you play a final you come with a lot of hope so to lose is a big disappointment.
“Arsenal were better than us. We need to realise the truth — they deserved to win. Next season we will try to do better than this season.”
Szczesny 6; Bellerín 7, Mertesacker 7, Koscielny 7, Monreal 8; Coquelin 8, Cazorla 9; Ramsey 7, Özil 8 (Wilshere 77), Sánchez 9 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 90); Walcott 8 (Giroud 77)
Given 6; Hutton 4, Vlaar 5, Okore 4, Richardson 4 (Bacuna 68, 4); Westwood 5 (Sánchez 71), Delph 4, Cleverley 4; N’Zogbia 3 (Agbonlahor 53, 5), Grealish 5, Benteke 5
Jonathan Moss
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