FINAL ANSWER
Wenger gets it right as he guides Gunners to record 20th FA Cup showpiece and silences his snipers
HE arched his back, clenched both fists and roared at the Wembley sky.
That is what this meant to Arsene Wenger.
It was not just a roar of triumph, it was a roar of defiance, a roar of relief as he steered Arsenal to a record 20th FA Cup Final.
The defiance of a man who had just outperformed one of the younger, dynamic breed who are supposed to be consigning Wenger to the managerial history books.
The relief of a man who had just been reminded his players would still empty hearts and lungs for their cranky, ageing boss.
Heck, even Mesut Ozil looked like he had nothing left to give. No wonder Wenger gave him a squeeze.
This was a triumph founded on toil, doggedness, character and spirit, all the qualities Wenger is supposed to have sucked out of this squad. Did fortune smile on him? It at least winked a few times. David Silva, for 20 minutes shining like only he does, had to limp off, pointing a rightly accusing finger at his disabler, Gabriel. An assistant ref ’s errant, eagle eye adjudged Leroy Sane’s cross to have arced out before arcing in and being converted by both Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling for good measure. Yaya Toure and Fernandinho, with foot and head, hit post and
bar. Yet Arsenal still had to do what they hardly ever do – chip out a comeback against a blue-chip opponent.
Having been set up to operate on the counter, they were caught on it, Toure robbing Aaron Ramsey with candy-taking comfort before sweetly sending Aguero into isolation.
The striker raced on rails, Nacho Monreal into a headwind and Petr Cech’s positioning was an invite rather than an inconvenience.
Aguero, with polite excellence, accepted it.
That it proved to be City’s sole success was not just down to that sprinkling of fortune, it was down to the resilience of a defensive effort underpinned by the physical interventions – mainly legal, occasionally illegal – of Laurent Koscielny, Gabriel and Rob Holding.
It was a resilience that infused one of the most non-resilient teams of recent weeks. It was a backbone for the spineless. Oxladedown Chamberlain was remorseless in his quest to make a difference and a difference he made when he persuaded a cross on to Monreal’s unfavoured but, this time, unerring boot.
Equality found not just on the scoreboard but on balance of play, extra time became a tough one to call.
Vulnerability grew at both ends but the decisive moment came when Ozil sucked up enough oxygen to float a freekick on to Koscielny’s knocking-down head and Sanchez finished after Danny Welbeck’s air shot.
Ramsey revealed afterwards Arsenal’s players are determined to win the Cup for Wenger.
The Gunners midfielder celebrated knocking out City then admitted they have let Wenger this season. And he said they would love to put that right by writing the under-pressure manager’s name into the history books with a record seventh FA Cup win.
Ramsey said: “We have let him down at times this season, we want to win it for him and ourselves.
“I love this competition. We have been quite successful in recent years and you can see the passion that the players play with. We went behind and kept on going and got a result. We’ve shown the character we have in this team.”
Wenger believes it proves Arsenal can handle big occasions and also praised match-winner Alexis Sanchez, who he called “an animal” after his determination. Wenger said: “Alexis Sanchez was like the team. He had problems to start and became stronger and stronger.
“He is an animal, always ready to kill the opponent. He will never give up. He will be here next year because he has a contract and hopefully we will manage to extend him.
“It was a big test for us today. It was a mental test. Many people questioned that – can we turn up on an occasion like that. I am very proud of the players.
“When you see the stands and see how big this club in, I just feel happy when the fans go home tonight. When fans go home happy I feel happy. When we don’t win games I feel sad because I don’t feel I give what people want.
“We have gone through a very difficult period, we faced some adversity that made the situation more difficult from inside as well.
“We showed a united response not a divided response.”
When we don’t win games I feel sad as I don’t feel I give what people want ARSENE WENGER