ARSENAL 3 HULL CITY 2 (aet)
By Ricky Butler at Wembley
THEY say the FA Cup has lost much of its magic. But not if your team is playing in the final. Just ask the fans of Arsenal and Hull City yesterday. It is the oldest cup competition in the world and remains the single greatest game in the English football calendar.
It may lack the glamour of the Champions League and will always be behind the Premier League in terms of importance and financial reward, but it is only competition that involves all 700-plus clubs in the League pyramid system.
So a competition that began way back in August with the Extra Preliminary Round, was concluded yesterday in the Wembley sunshine. Arsenal, the favourites, against the plucky underdogs from Hull.
For Arsene Wenger it meant more than most. It had the feeling of an era-defining match. The nine-year trophy drought had become a monkey on their back, but after seeing off Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton along the way, this was the time to finally put the record straight.
Hull, under the astute management of Steve Bruce, was surprise finalists. Promoted from the Championship just a year ago, the Tigers had secured Premier League safety and were determined to enjoy their first ever cup final.
All the pressure was on Arsenal and in the early stages they did not appear to have coped very well with it. Looking ill-at-ease, the Gunners were one-down inside three minutes courtesy of a James Chester goal; two-down in eight thanks to Curtis Davies. Both goals the result of poor defending from set-pieces.
Of course this has been a familiar story for Arsenal this season. Conceding early goals in big games. At Liverpool in February and Chelsea a month later it had led to heavy defeats. But this was to be different. Gloriously different.
Not since 1966 had a side come back from 2-0 down to win a Wembley FA Cup final but two incidents began to turn the tide back in Arsenal's favour. In the 12th minute, Kieran Gibbs headed off the line to prevent Alex Bruce making it 3-0; it would have been the first time that three central defenders from the same side had scored in a Wembley final, before Santi Cazorla halved the arrears six minutes later with a magnificent 30-yard free kick.
It was one of Wembley's greatest goals. Similar in many ways to Paul Gascoigne's free kick against Arsenal here in 1991, the Spaniard hit the postage stamp in the top left-hand corner of the net with unerring accuracy and power.
Revitalised, Arsenal began to dominate. Mesut Ozil was a whisker away from getting on the end of a drilled left-wing cross from Lukas Podolski, while Oliver Giroud and Aaran Ramsey also threatened.
The second half saw wave after wave of Arsenal attacks. They perhaps ought to have had three penalties. Twice Cazorla was bundled over in the area by scorers Chester and Davies, while Giroud was held back by Tom Huddlestone. However, it was not until the hour and the introduction of substitute Yaya Sanogo that the Gunners were finally able to get back on terms.
Giroud did well down the left and when his cross was flicked into the side netting by Sanogo, referee Lee Probert continued his poor performance by awarding Arsenal a corner when it was quite clearly a goal kick.
Cazorla's delivery was not cleared by the Tigers defence and Laurent Koscienly turned the ball home from six yards, the third year in a row he has scored a vital Arsenal goal in the final match of the season.
The comeback should have been completed before the need for extra time. Gibbs was presented with a golden opportunity to win it 11 minutes from time. Sanogo has his critics, and his lack of goals is a concern, but the former postman was having a big influence of proceedings. He did really well to square the ball to the full back in space eight-yards out, but with the goal gapping, Gibbs somehow fired over the top.
Having spent much of the second half chasing the ball, Hull visibly tired in extra time. Giroud headed against the crossbar after Ramsey had capitalised on a mistake by Davies, before Ramsey himself fired into the side netting. But just as it was looking like being a tale of missed chances, Arsenal finally went in front with 11 minutes of extra time remaining.
Who would deny Ramsey his moment of glory. After an horrendous injury in 2010, the Welshman took time to rediscover his best form. Such has been his influence this season however, that many felt Ramsey's loss to injury between Boxing Day and Easter had cost Arsenal the title.
Therefore it was only fitting that the midfielder should pop up to finish from 12 yards after a lovely back-heel from Giroud. Older Gooners recalled a similar goal scored by Paul Merson against Liverpool in the 1990-91 title-winning season after a similar back heel from Alan Smith. But this one proved even more significant.
Arsenal being Arsenal however, almost found a way to throw it away. A Per Mertesaker slip let in Sone Aluko and Lukas Fabianski, the semi final penalty shoot-out hero, came charging out of his goal.
Aluko was always going to get there first and easily skipped past the Arsenal goalkeeper, in his final appearance for the club. But from a tight angle the Hull substitute was only able to pull the ball wide of an empty net and Arsenal had finally won some silverware. Joy unbridled.
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| Brothers in arms. Mertersaker and Koscielny show what it means the win the FA Cup |
With Wenger about to sign a new contract, and with the club finally able to compete on financial terms with the likes of City and Chelsea, are the glory days about to return to this part of North London?
You certainly got the feeling at Wembley yesterday that they are.
ARSENAL - Fabinaski 6, Sagna 7, Mertersaker 7, Koscienly 8, Gibbs 7, Arteta 7, RAMSEY 8, Ozil 6 (Rosicky 7, 105), Cazorla 8 (Wilshere 7, 105), Podolski 6 (Sanogo 8, 61), Giroud 8.
HULL CITY - McGregor 7, Rosenior 6 (Boyd 6, 102), Bruce 7, Chester 7, DAVIES 8 (McShane 6, 67), Elmohamady 7, Livermore 6, Meyler 7, Huddlestone 7, Quinn 7 (Aluko 6, 75), Fryatt 8
REFEREE - L. Probert 5 - Got most of the big calls wrong and seemed overawed by the occasion.
ATTENDANCE: 89, 345
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