Arsenal have won the FA Cup for a record 12th time after beating Aston Villa 4-0 in a one-sided final at Wembley.
Theo
Walcott volleyed the Gunners in front five minutes before the end of
the first half in a game that they dominated from start to finish.
A
stunning Alexis Sanchez shot just after the restart doubled the
advantage, before a Per Mertesacker header on 62 minutes and substitute
Olivier Giroud’s neat injury time flick secured victory over a very
disappointing Villa side.
The Gunners started well and forced a
succession of early corners, but were unable to test the returning Shay
Given in the Villa goal was a glancing header from Laurent Koscielny
which went well wide.
But the Republic of Ireland international
had to be alert on the quarter hour mark to claw away a more accurate
Koscielny effort, before Aaron Ramsey was inches wide after good work
down the right by Hector Bellerin.
Ramsey then blazed over from the edge of the penalty area after Mesut Ozil’s cross had fallen nicely into his path.
Arsenal
continued to dominate and Kieran Richardson was in the right place at
the right time to block a goal-bound Walcott shot after a deflected Ozil
cross found the former Southampton man six yards out.
The Gunners continued to press and finally got the goal their efforts deserved five minutes before the break.
Francis
Cocquelin’s cultured cross-field pass picked out Nacho Monreal down the
left whose cross was headed back across goal by Alexis Sanchez for
Walcott to volley home from eight yards.
It was 2-0 five minutes
after the restart as Sanchez found space 30 yards out and unleashed a
swerving shot which deceived Given and crashed in off the crossbar.
Walcott had the ball in the net moments later, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Given then produced a fine diving save deny Santi Cazorla as Arsenal looked to put the result beyond doubt.
But
they didn’t have to wait long for a third as Mertesacker lost his
marker in the penalty area to head in Cazorla’s corner from six yards.
Villa
were stunned and offered little in terms of attacking threat, although
substitute Gabriel Agbonlahor had a good shout for a penalty waved away
by the referee after a mistimed Mertesacker challenge.
Jack
Grealish, who had been quiet all afternoon as Arsenal won the midfield
battle, might also have had a spot-kick after being pulled back by
Bellerin five minutes from the end, but once again the referee was
uninterested.
But Villa’s miserable afternoon was compounded in
injury time as substitutes Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud
combined for the Frenchman to flick the ball over Given from close range
to make it 4-0 and secure a sixth FA Cup triumph for manager Arsene
Wenger and a 12th in total for the north London club.
Credit: Kieran O'Daly/Setanta Sport
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