Five things we learned from Arsenal's shock victory over rivals Chelsea in the FA Cup final

 

Five things we learned from Arsenal's shock victory over rivals Chelsea in the FA Cup final

Chelsea's hopes of winning the double died on Saturday as Arsenal stunned the Premier League champions at Wembley.

Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring after just four minutes with a goal that was initially ruled out for offside. But after a short discussion between Anthony Taylor and his linesman, the goal was given.

READ MORE: Katarina Johnson-Thompson soars to lead prestigious meeting

READ MORE: Gareth Steenson reveals how late father inspired him to match-winning kick

Diego Costa equalised for Chelsea late in the second-half, after Victor Moses was shown a second yellow card for simulation.

But the league champions were only back on level terms for three minutes as Aaron Ramsey raced down the other end of the pitch to score, ensuring that Arsenal's distinctly underwhelming league campaign ended in glory.

Chelsea finally run out of gas

Against Arsenal, Chelsea finally ran out of gas. Whether their Premier League heroics finally caught up with them, or whether they simply enjoyed the subsequent title celebrations a little too much, against Arsenal they spent long periods of the game looking as though they were running on empty.

Arsenal dominated possession in the first-half and should have scored more than once before the break, and Chelsea were unable to muster up an effective response late on.

Ultimately however, Antonio Conte can still be mightily improved of what he achieved in his debut campaign in English football, and Roman Abramovich will presumably present him with the necessary funds to strengthen next summer. They will need the investment. Conte likes to stick with the same team when possible but the return of European football will mean he has to chop and change on a far more regular basis.

 

 

Mertesacker is not finished just yet

Per Mertesacker’s performance in the heart of defence for Arsenal was nothing short of incredible when you consider that he was making his first start of the season. The defender may turn 33 at the start of next season and have suffered more than his fair share of injury problems, but he rolled back the years at Wembley with a commanding display.

His heroics in a three-man defence were all the more impressive given that prior to the match he had candidly admitted: “I haven't played ever in a back three, honestly.” It didn’t matter. The big German was dominant in the air and on hand to snuff out the vast majority of Chelsea's attacks.

Victor Moses’ season ends in shame

Until today, Chelsea had enjoyed an almost flawless season, with Victor Moses even more flawless than most. His transformation from an oft-forgotten squad player into a key component of a title-winning side has been one of the stories of the season, and the Nigerian international fully deserves his place in Antonio Conte’s starting XI.

He didn’t deserve for his season to end in shame. But the wing-back was desperately foolish to throw himself to the floor after bursting into the box late into the second-half, despite already being on a yellow card. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain didn’t touch him, and Anthony Taylor correctly showed him a second yellow. It was so harsh on the 26-year-old, but he only had himself to blame.

Wenger’s goalkeeper gamble paid off

How did Arsenal’s supporters react to the news that Arsene Wenger was going to play David Ospina at Wembley, instead of established number one Petr Cech? They panicked. In the end, they had no reason to.

READ MORE: Kean’s first goal secures Juventus win

READ MORE: Arsenal win the FA Cup against ten-man Chelsea

Whether it was a sensible decision to play his number two goalkeeper in a game of such magnitude is a talking point for another day. Because Ospina was brilliant against Chelsea, bravely denying Diego Costa in the first-half and making a fine low save to deny Victor Moses in the second. He had little chance with Chelsea's goal, and then made a match-saving stop minutes later. The Premier League’s loss is the Turkish Süper Lig’s gain.

On their day, Arsenal remain a top team

His critics will argue that winning the FA Cup simply doesn’t cut it anymore. Not when Arsenal have finished outside the top four for the first time in two decades. Not when the club were dumped out of the Champions League 10-2 on aggregate by Bayern Munich. And not when their top stars still seem hesitant to sign contract extensions.

But this victory also proved that, on their day, Arsenal remain one of the best teams in the country, capable of beating anybody. There is no doubt that Wenger’s reluctance to reveal his future plans negatively impacted on results, but with the announcement of a one or two-year contract extension, the manager can ensure that such speculation does not poison the 2017/18 season.