Five-star West Ham earn FA Youth Cup glory in front of bumper Emirates crowd 

Defeat was no shame for Jack Wilshere and the next generation of Arsenal first-team hopefuls.

PUTTING THE HAMMER DOWN: West Ham United players celebrate after Josh Briggs scores their side's fifth goal. Pic:: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire.

FA YOUTH CUP FINAL

ARSENAL 1-5 WEST HAM UNITED 

JACK WILSHERE's Young Guns failed to deliver the first leg of Arsenal's unique treble bid for their youth, men's and women's teams as favourites West Ham won a thrilling FA Youth Cup Final, in front of over 30,000, at the Emirates Stadium.

Now it is down to Mikel Arteta's seniors to maintain their Premier League title challenge at trophy rivals Manchester City on Wednesday before their women bid to reach the Champions League final with a win against Wolfsburg, here next Monday night.

Defeat was no shame for Wilshere and the next generation of first-team hopefuls as West Ham came here to complete the League and Cup double having won 18 of their 21 Under-18 Premier League South fixtures. 

West Ham last won this prestigious trophy in 2009, when Joe Cole and Michael Carrick starred.

Arsenal took a deserved seventh-minute lead when Omari Benjamin rifled in the rebound from an Amario Cozier-Duberry shot. The chance was only possible, however, thanks to the stunning run and dribble from Ruell Walters, a regular first-team squad member in recent weeks.

West Ham, superbly supported with the best part of 10,000 fans filling the stadium's Clock End, were struggling to cope with Arsenal's confident, free-flowing passing that had all the hallmarks of Arteta's first-team.

Then George Earthy sent Arsenal and their supporters crashing back to reality, in the 16th minute, with an even better goal than Benjamin's. The England under-16 international rode his luck before driving in a venomous right-foot effort from distance.

Less than two minutes later and West Ham captain Gideon Kadua delivered an inch-perfect ball to the edge of the six-yard box where Callum Wilson side-footed in to complete an assured finish.

Now Arsenal looked very much second best and were only just looking like getting back on level terms when the impressive Kodua punished a poor piece of control by Josh Robinson to beat Noah Cooper with a driven chip from a full 40 yards out. Well worth a search on social media!

Arsenal had numerous chances to get back in it after the break, but defender Kaelan Casey finally put the Cup firmly beyond reach when he headed in from a 78th-minute corner to celebrate in front of the jubilant away contingent. Substitute Josh Briggs added a fifth with his first touch in the 90th minute.

Maybe it will be West Ham, with David Moyes' men on the verge of a Europa Conference Final place, who will finish the season with more to celebrate than Arsenal after all!

Arsenal: Cooper, Rosiak, Robinson, Walters, Sousa, Ibrahim, Lewis-Skelly, Gower, Cozier-Duberry, Benjamin, Nwaneri. 

Subs: Rojas, Nichols, Kacurri, Brown, Oulad M’Hand, Ferdinand, Kamara. 

West Ham: Terry, Battrum, Scarles, Casey, Clayton, Orford, Earthy, Kelly, Marshall, Kodua, Mubama. Subs: Tarima, Herrick, Rigge, Fawunmi, Briggs, Mukasa, Jones.

Ref: David Webb. 

Att: 34,127.