Arsenal lifted their third FA Cup in four seasons as they beat an underwhelming Chelsea side in an exciting clash at Wembley. Arsene Wenger – whose future at the club remains uncertain – saw his side go ahead through Alexis Sanchez’s controversial goal in the 4th minute. It was a dominant half for the Gunners, but they could not convert any further chances into goals.
The second half saw Antonio Conte’s men press up front, but Arsenal remained defiant at the back. Chelsea’s task was made even harder when Victor Moses was sent off for two yellow cards, the latter for diving inside the penalty area. Despite the one-man disadvantage, however, the Premier League champions levelled matters when goalkeeper David Ospina failed to keep out Diego Costa’s deflected shot.
Also read: Twitter reacts as Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 to win third FA Cup in four years
Aaron Ramsey – who scored an extra-time winner in their FA Cup final triumph against Hull City in 2014 – turned hero again, as he headed in from Olivier Giroud’s cross to restore Arsenal’s lead. Chelsea pushed hard, but could not find an equaliser for the second time of asking, meaning that Arsenal are now the most successful club in the history of the FA Cup with 13 titles.
Here are the talking points from an electric final at Wembley:
#1 Controversy behind Alexis Sanchez’s opener – Handball or Offside or both?
Some Laws in football have been multiple amended over the years, and the offside ruling has always been subject to alteration due to various factors match officials must consider before calling play offside. At the beginning of the 2015/16 season, the Law stated that the player need not have touched the ball in order to be caught offside, as long as he was interfering in play by blocking the path or the view of an opposition player.
The game’s first goal witnessed another test of clarity of the offside rule to Anthony Taylor’s refereeing team at Wembley. Chelsea had messed up in their attempt to counter from an Arsenal move, giving possession back to their London rivals. A David Luiz header from a forward pass fell into the path of Alexis Sanchez.
There were initial calls of handball by the Chilean forward as he lobbed the ball over Chelsea’s defence. Aaron Ramsey – who was the furthest forward – was clearly in an offside position but did not touch the ball and allowed Sanchez to surge forward from his own pass.
While some of Chelsea’s players were appealing for handball and the defensive line stood static at the raising of the assistant referee’s flag – Sanchez beat Courtois with a great outside-of-the-boot finish.
The flag was raised which meant that the goal was initially ruled out, but after a lengthy discussion between Mr. Taylor and the linesman who called Ramsey offside, the decision was overturned as the duo decided that Ramsey neither touched the ball nor appeared to interfere in play.
It was a dubious moment for both players and officials, but in the end, it appeared as if the right decision was made, as Ramsey’s body language clearly showed that he had no intent to play the ball with the knowledge that he was in an illegal position. The Chelsea defence’s decision to halt in their tracks when Sanchez played the initial ball may have worked in Ramsey’s favour as well, as he couldn’t have interfered in play against a static defence. This moment was a suggestion that the exact offside rule is not fully clear even to those who arbitrate the game, i.e. the match officials.
#2 Wenger tactically outclasses Conte
Chelsea absolutely cruised to the Premier League, but their ship definitely waded on rough waters on the evening of the FA Cup final. They were thoroughly outplayed in all three departments.
Defensively, Chelsea were unable to cope with Danny Welbeck’s pace and intensity on the counter attack. N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic were well off the pace in midfield, leaving wide gaps between them and the defence for Arsenal to ponder their attacking options.
Welbeck often slotted into Arsenal’s midfield, meaning that Chelsea were outnumbered and ended up losing possession on multiple occasions and coming second best on most 50-50 balls – allowing the former Manchester United man to ply his trade on the break.
Despite pressing in the second half, Chelsea were thwarted by Arsenal’s zonal marking tactics – helped by the fact that their back three were in great shape for most of the game apart from a couple of minor mistakes from the inexperienced Rob Holding.
Per Mertesacker led a much disciplined defensive performance for the Gunners, which was integral in making it a memorable win for Arsene Wenger.
#3 Per Mertesacker shines on his first start in the whole season
Making his first start of the entire season, Arsenal club captain Per Mertesacker displayed immense leadership and strength to keep the likes of Diego Costa and Pedro at bay throughout the game. In his presence, Arsenal’s zonal marking tactics seemed to work perfectly – any corner or dangerous looking cross being dealt with conviction
The German wasn’t holding back when it came to ground challenges, he committed to them and got all of them spot on, frustrating Costa on multiple occasions and forcing him to sky a couple of shots over the crossbar.
The defender may not be on top of the list when it comes to pace, but his game-awareness, man marking and ability to organise a defence – despite never having played in a 3-at-the-back system throughout his career – was what Arsenal crucially needed last night. The veteran German international was definitely a contender for the Man of the Match award for his timely challenges and success in zonal marking.
#4 Victor Moses capitulates on the big day
He may have enjoyed a breakthrough season at wing-back under the tutelage of Conte, but Victor Moses ended the season with a whimper – possibly his worst performance of the entire campaign. The Nigerian, who has given left-backs nightmares this season with his tireless legs to pace up and down the pitch, was completely off-colour last night.
He was unable to deliver a decent cross into the box and looked out of ideas when he got the ball forward, down the wing. While tracking back, he was guilty of a couple of fouls and was rightly booked for cynically hacking down Welbeck when he was away towards goal.
His performance reached its ultimate nadir just a few minutes later, when he went tumbling inside the box under pressure from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – who made absolutely no contact. Referee Anthony Taylor rightly enforced the simulation rule and brandished a second yellow card – resulting in a red – putting Moses out of his misery.
It was a forgettable evening for the Nigerian but does not tarnish what has been an excellent season with the league champions.
#5 Wenger could keep his job after successful run with a new formation
Arsene Wenger – whose current contract runs out at the end of this season – has seen uncertainty regarding his future as being the major talking point revolving around the club for the last six months. Abysmal performances away from home in the second half of the season have pushed them out of the top 4.
A heavy aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League further questions Wenger’s sustainability at the club. The media and the fans have been making leaps in the dark regarding the future, but it ultimately looks like the 67-year-old will be signing a new two-year deal at the end of the season.
The change in system in reaction to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace has worked – they’ve won all bar one of those games since switching to three at the back. The performance with three at the back on Saturday was excellent – both tactically and mentally – further fuelling speculation that Wenger will continue as Arsenal boss for at least one more season.
The Frenchman has himself blamed uncertainty about his future as being the reason for not finishing in the Champions League spots, but at least success in the FA Cup after a dominant performance with the switch in system gives him some credibility and a final chance to bring Arsenal back as title contenders.
A board meeting in the coming week will soon clear up matters as far as the manager’s position is concerned.
