Arsenal hit back at their critics yesterday with a fantastic performance against Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley, securing a 2-1 victory that saw the Gunners lift their third FA Cup crown in four years, become the most successful side in the history of the competition and cement Arsene Wenger’s position as the most successful manager in the FA Cup.
Wenger’s seventh FA Cup crown significantly means only Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have won more FA Cup trophies in their history than Wenger has done in the last 21 years in North London- and he masterminded a memorable performance.
The general consensus ahead of the game was that Chelsea, chasing a domestic double, would sweep apart their London rivals with ease- especially due to the defensive crisis that the Gunners faced going into the match.
Nacho Monreal and Rob Holding were joined in a back three by Per Mertesacker, who was making his first start for the Gunners this season, but the issues Arsenal faced defensively were demonstrated by the fact they had no recognised defenders on their bench.
In the end, an area where Arsenal were considered to be extremely weak put in a fantastic performance, with Diego Costa’s influence on the match kept limited and star-man Eden Hazard barely managed a sight at goal as the defensive trio put in a superb display.
In midfield, Arsenal’s pressing saw Hector Bellerin, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis Sanchez, Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil all enjoy a fantastic game, making the decision to find a Man of the Match extremely difficult as it could have genuinely gone to any of Arsenal’s starting eleven.
Crucially for the Gunners, the victory at Wembley kickstarts a crucial summer where Arsenal need to strengthen their ranks and sort out the uncertain futures surrounding a wealth of key figures at the club- including Alexis Sanchez and Arsene Wenger.
It’s not yet clear who will stay and who will go at the Emirates Stadium this summer but FA Cup success gives Arsenal a much stronger bargaining position as they aim to secure key-players down to new contracts and attract the necessary signings.
For Wenger, his side’s fantastic performances since switching to a three-man defence show the French boss is willing to adapt and those changes, which have seen the Gunners win nine of their last ten matches across all competitions, may have handed him a new lease of life in North London.
From here, Arsenal need to kick on and sort out their future immediately- which is set to happen as Wenger confirmed a board meeting will take place on Tuesday that will decide whether he secures a new deal or brings an end to his long and successful tenure in charge of the Gunners.
Significant transfer deals are unlikely to be secured until Wenger’s future is resolved but the Gunners will be keen to kick-on in the coming weeks.