The FA Cup is a brilliant way for any club to end the season and Arsenal know that feeling after being victorious in this very match last season. Aston Villa also know this feeling from years gone by, but they wanted to prove a point to their doubters this season. They went into the game as the underdog which would probably suit the team, but some believed that they would be strong enough to possibly create a shock result to give their season an uplift after poor results at the end of their season.
Although they were the underdogs, Villa weren't about to roll over and just let Arsenal have the ball in the opening stages of the game. Their defensive work was together and the whole team was getting behind the ball but when given the chance they proved a threat to be reckoned with. However, even though their build up play was very good they didn't have a shot on target to reflect this, never mind a goal.
Although they were the underdogs, Villa weren't about to roll over and just let Arsenal have the ball in the opening stages of the game. Their defensive work was together and the whole team was getting behind the ball but when given the chance they proved a threat to be reckoned with. However, even though their build up play was very good they didn't have a shot on target to reflect this, never mind a goal.
It was Arsenal who had the first clear cut chance of the game. Arsenal won a free kick and Alexis Sanchez took it and out a brilliant cross into the box. Laurent Koscielny got up well above his marker and aimed the ball towards the left side of the net. Shay Given produced a brilliant one handed reflex save to keep the scores level, but Arsenal were certainly beginning to look the more dangerous. Five minutes later, Mesut Ozil won the ball back from Fabian Delph on the halfway line and pushed forward with a lot of pace. The ball he put into the box wasn't great but Ron Vlaar made a mess of the clearance which allowed Aaron Ramsey to have a chance to put Arsenal in the lead but his shot was wild and it went high over the crossbar.
Arsenal remained on the front foot for the rest of the first half an hour and they looked particularly dangerous in front of goal. Ozil, playing down the left during this move, crossed the ball into Theo Walcott who had a chance from point blank range. The build up play once again was good by Arsenal and the resulting shot was stopped when Kieran Richardson literally threw his body onto the line to block the powerful shot. Minutes later, Ramsey beat the offside trap, but wasn't left in the clear because Vlaar stuck with him all the way. However, he did manage to cutely curl the ball around the defender and get it on target, but Given was perfectly placed the hold the ball.
Arsenal remained on the front foot for the rest of the first half an hour and they looked particularly dangerous in front of goal. Ozil, playing down the left during this move, crossed the ball into Theo Walcott who had a chance from point blank range. The build up play once again was good by Arsenal and the resulting shot was stopped when Kieran Richardson literally threw his body onto the line to block the powerful shot. Minutes later, Ramsey beat the offside trap, but wasn't left in the clear because Vlaar stuck with him all the way. However, he did manage to cutely curl the ball around the defender and get it on target, but Given was perfectly placed the hold the ball.
Villa got their first chance just after the half hour mark after Fabian Delph was allowed room to get a good cross into the box. In the centre of the box was a cluster of players and Delph aimed for the penalty spot hoping at least one of them could get their head to the ball. None of them did though as Wojciech Szczesny came off his line with the aim to clear the ball but he misjudged his punch, but luckily got away with it as his defenders cleared their lines.
The next move left Villa wishing they'd taken that last chance. 5 minutes before half time Nacho Monreal kept himself onside and chipped the ball back towards the far post from the very edge of the pitch. Sanchez made a strong leap and beat his man to head the ball back towards the near post where Walcott was waiting. He took the volley on his weaker foot and clearly slotted it past Given to give Arsenal the advantage at the break.
It was a cruel time in the game for Villa to have conceded the goal and even after half time they just couldn't get themselves going again. They seemed to have lost the energy and togetherness they had during the first half. Arsenal, however, came out of the blocks quickly and were causing Villa a lot of problems from the very beginning. And they capitalised on this. From well outside the box, Sanchez created space for himself by running Tom Cleverley back on himself before he rifled a swerving shot that grazed the bottom of the crossbar and high above the keeper before it rolled down the back of the net. He left the keeper no chance and doubled his side's lead with style.
Villa did look like they could get themselves a goal though as they pushed forward with a lot of pace and integrity after the second goal was scored but again, their end ball just wasn't good enough to cause the Arsenal defence any major problems. Szczesny did look very uneasy in the Arsenal goal though. He hadn't played that many games in the latter half of the season and he looked particularly nervous whenever Villa piled bodies into the box. Due to him missing a couple of punches, one of which was an easy take, he lost some confidence and was less keen to come off his line to collect the ball; something the Villa team probably should have tried to exploit more often.
They didn't though, and just after the hour mark, Per Mertesacker pretty much finished it for Arsenal. Villa will have been disappointed as the goal came from a corner which they should have dealt with a lot better. The corner was swung into the middle of the box and originally Christian Benteke was marking Mertesacker. Mertesacker shrugged off Benteke quite easily though which allowed him just enough room to get up and glance the ball into the back of the net and past Given who was caught off guard as he expected his teammate to deal with the set piece a lot better.
Both teams had a number of chances after this, but both knew that it was already over. Once again though, after conceding another goal, Villa suddenly sprung to life and regained some of their belief. On the 80th minute, Gabriel Agbonlahor made a darting run into the box, but before he reached it Francis Coquelin brought him down on the very edge of the box. The referee rightly waved the penalty shouts away, but Villa did have an extremely good case for a free kick. It may not have made any difference to the outcome of the game, but it could have given their fans a reason to cheer on their miserable afternoon at Wembley.
Then, right on the death, Arsenal made the result even crueller as they truly finished it. The three substitutes combined together to add a fourth goal to this tally with the final touch of the game. Jack Wilshere did well to keep the ball in play on the far right side of the pitch and played a short ball to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He was just onside and played a square ball across to Olivier Giroud who was left with a simple tap in to round off a brilliant evening for Arsenal.
So, Arsenal retained their trophy deservedly after a dominating performance over Villa. They threw everything they had at their opponents and on the night it came off for them and Villa's luck seemed to have truly died out at the wrong time in their season. They tried their best though, but Arsenal were certainly the better team on the night. Also, this FA Cup win puts Arsenal at the very top of the list of the most FA Cup trophy wins, effectively overtaking Manchester United. It was a brilliant competition this season, throwing up more shocks in one weekend than people have seen in a very long time. Who doesn't love the FA Cup?
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