Arsenal claimed a record 12th FA Cup crown on Saturday, as they outclassed Aston Villa to win 4-0in Wembley's final.Theo Walcott's first-half goal began the rout, while Alexis Sanchez's stunner, Per Mertesacker's header and Olivier Giroud's late tap-in sealed the victory.It was an impressive performance from the Gunners, who won their second consecutive FA Cup, having also triumphed in 2014's final.The FA confirmed the result, Arsene Wenger's sixth victory in the storied competition as Arsenal boss:It was a fairly even opening to the proceedings at Wembley, with Arsenal perhaps just edging the first quarter of an hour but neither side creating a genuine opening.The first real chance came from Laurent Koscielny in the 15th minute, as he headed powerfully goalward from a Sanchez cross from the left, only for Shay Given to produce an impressive one-handed save.The Gunners began to dominate the game and almost went 1-0 up five minutes later, as the ball fell to Aaron Ramsey in the box following Fabian Delph's midfield error, but the Welshman could only fire over the bar.Minutes later, it wasKieran Richardson to the rescue, as he saved off the line from Walcott's powerful drive from six yards out.Having weathered a considerable storm, Villa looked to push forward themselves, but the Gunners were finally rewarded for their efforts in the 40th minute with the opening goal from Walcott.The Englishman fired home an excellent left-footed volley after bursting into the box to latch onto Sanchez's downward header fromNacho Monreal's cross.BBCMatch of the Day's Gary Lineker commended the strike as well as Wenger's decision to pick Walcott over Giroud in the starting XI:Arsenal took a deserved 1-0 lead into the break, with Villa needing a significant response in the second half, having been outclassed over the first 45 minutes.Villa boss Tim Sherwood saw little improvement after the break, but to be fair, his side were under huge pressure in the face of a classy Arsenal performance.In the 50th minute, Sanchez doubled the Gunners' lead with a wonder strike from 25 yards out that flashed in off the underside of the bar.A superb effort from the Chilean, the ball moved fiendishly in the air, giving Given absolutely no chance of making a save, per BT Sport's Ian Darke:Arsenal came back from 2-0 down to eventually triumph in last year's final against Hull City, but such was the Gunners' dominance that a turnaround from Villa seemed highly unlikely.And indeed, Mertesacker effectively put the game to bed in the 62nd minute as he buried a simple header from a corner into the back of the net after being lost by marker Christian Benteke to make it 3-0.Villa were denied a terrific chance to give themselves a slither of hope in the 80th minute.Gabriel Agbonlahor was clearly fouled byFrancis Coquelin on the edge of the box, but the referee let play continue. Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe disagreed with the decision:The foul arguably took place just outside the penalty area, but it was a clear error from referee Jon Moss not to award Villa anything.Minutes later, Villa had further reason to feel aggrieved, as they were again denied a spot kick when Jack Grealish was hauled to the ground byHector Bellerin in the penalty area.While the Birmingham outfit arguably deserved a consolation near the end, Arsenal were undeniably the far superior team on the day, and Giroud turned home Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's low cross to seal the rout in stoppage time.It was a fine performance on the big stage for Wenger's men, and the Frenchman will hope to see more of the same come the 2015-16 season when the Gunners will go in search of more cup glory and PremierLeaguetriumph.ReactionWenger spoke of his great pride following his side's impressive victory, the Frenchman hailing his outfit's response to the pressure of the final, per Tom Rostance and Gary Rose of BBC Sport:We have shown that we are a real team and can deal with pressure. I congratulate the players, the staff and the fans. We are so happy tonight.I had a difficult week to pick the team. But when confidence and sprit is so good it helps. Look, I am very proud. Our club is doing well and if I can personally do well then it's even better.Goalscorer Mertesacker praised the first-half performance and the positivity Arsenal showed throughout the contest, perRostance and Rose:We deserved this today. We played on the front foot from the start and that makes a massive difference.Last year we suffered in the first-half but today we scored regularly and gave we what we needed.It is a good way to finish off the season and I can look forward to my first holiday since retiring from international football. Hopefully we will start next season on the front foot but first we celebrate this victory.
Click here to read full news..
