5 Truths: Wenger has last laugh, Chelsea wilt in face of Double challenge, Mertesacker Miracle
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Published 27/05/2017 at 18:44 GMT
Tom Adams was at Wembley to witness Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final.
Wenger supporters hold up a placard in the crown ahead of the English FA Cup final football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley stadium in London on May 27, 2017
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Wenger has the last laugh - this season at least
Until about 7.20pm on Saturday evening, this had been the worst season of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal career. Terrible results, being expelled from the Champions League, open insurrection in the streets and finishing below Tottenham for the first time ever. Things were so bad that in a pre-final interview with the BBC, Wenger spoke of his “disgust” at the “lack of respect” that had been shown to him in some quarters.
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Per Mertesacker of Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, Manager of Arsenal speak prior to The Emirates FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on May 27, 2017 in London, England.
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Much of the criticism which never strayed into abuse of Wenger remains relevant. One result doesn’t change that. And yet, one result at Wembley does completely transform the complexion of the season. A trophy is a trophy - as Jose Mourinho found out with the Europa League - and beating Chelsea to win it, at Wembley, in such style, makes this surely one of Wenger’s fInest triumphs. When you factor in everything he has had to endure, it might just be one of the sweetest too.
Arsenal now have a record 13 FA Cups and Wenger has a record seven all to himself. Not bad at all. If this is to be his final game as Arsenal manager, it is some way to go out.
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Sanchez goal should have been ruled out - but not for the reason everyone said
Inside five minutes, Wembley was treated to one of the strangest goals ever to grace an FA Cup final. Aaron Ramsey was yards offside when the ball clattered off Alexis Sanchez and into his path and so the linesman raised his flag. But then Sanchez himself charged through from an onside position, and with the Chelsea defence all expecting the whistle, placed a shot past Thibaut Courtois. Referee Anthony Taylor consulted with his assistant but awarded the goal.
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Le But d'Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) contre Chelsea en finale de la Cup
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Cue a heated discussion about the offside law and why it can’t be easier to understand; what exactly constitutes interfering with play. Which was strange, because even with the naked eye it clearly looked as though Sanchez had committed a blatant handball in the build-up, and the suspicion was confirmed by later replays. The offside debate was a red herring. Under those laws the goal was legitimate, if controversial. But Sanchez’s 30th of a remarkable season should not have stood.
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A memorable final, but Chelsea wilted in face of Double challenge
There is a reason there have only been 11 Double winners in English football’s long history. Conquering the league and then following up in the FA Cup final is an extremely hard trick to pull off and Chelsea failed, miserably in fact. Winning the Premier League had seemingly drained them of their serotonin and this was the horrible comedown.
Arsenal were utterly dominant in the first half at Wembley. Alexis Sanchez scored a controversial early opener (as detailed above) but Danny Welbeck also hit the post and Gary Cahill cleared efforts from Mesut Ozil and Welbeck off the line. Arsenal were enjoying time on the ball and a Chelsea midfield of N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic, which has been dominant all season, suddenly went completely missing, Matic in particular.
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Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey in action with Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic
Image credit: Reuters
It was crying out for Conte to make a change. Back in September, after an Arsenal onslaught which actually had Wenger’s side 3-0 in front at Emirates Stadium, he moved to the back three which had brought Chelsea to the brink of the Double. But at Wembley he waited until 61 minutes to replace Matic with Cesc Fabregas. But the real change which changed the match came from Conte’s opposite number.
Chelsea had got level despite a red card for Victor Moses - shown when he picked up a second yellow for diving - when Diego Costa squeezed a shot home but Wenger threw on Olivier Giroud and he almost immediately exploited some terrible defending to cross for Ramsey to head home. Ozil could have added another when he struck the post late on. Chelsea only needed one more big game to finish their season with a flourish - they got their worst performance in six months.
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Wenger just about got away with Ospina decision
Arsenal’s decision to drop Petr Cech was leaked on Friday and officially confirmed when the team-sheets were published; there was no injury, the usual No. 1, who had done much to repair his reputation in recent weeks with some authoritative performances, had been axed for the cup keeper, who appears likely to leave the club this summer. It looked for all the world like a huge unforced error by Wenger: a decision he did not have to make and which could only have negative consequences. They have not been uncommon in the second half of his reign.
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Arsenal's Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina (L) makes a save from Chelsea's Brazilian-born Spanish striker Diego Costa during the English FA Cup final football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley stadium in London on May 27, 2017
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When Ospina dropped a fairly routine cross in the first half it seemed as though Chelsea had a weak spot to exploit in an otherwise impeccable Arsenal team, but the Colombian had already bravely saved from Costa and then got down expertly in the opening minutes of the second half to fling out an arm and deny Victor Moses. Still, it always felt like there was a dodgy moment coming and so it proved on 76 minutes when Costa got to a cross from Willian and saw a volley which should have been saved sneak past the weak hand of Ospina. Even then there was some redemption though, as Ospina then saved smartly to dent Costa a second. It was nervy, but Wenger got away with it.
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The Per Mertesacker Miracle
“With a back three, we start from zero,” said Per Mertesacker in the week before the game, as he admitted he would be playing in such a formation for the first time in his career. Throw in the fact the captain was making only his first start of the season and it seemed a recipe for disaster when he was named alongside natural left-back Nacho Monreal and rookie Rob Holding in a three-man defence. When Holding was seen to be coaching Mertesacker through a couple of moments in the opening minutes, you feared for Arsenal.
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Diego Costa of Chelsea is challenged by Per Mertesacker of Arsenal during The Emirates FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on May 27, 2017 in London, England
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And then something incredible happened. The club captain who had been all but forgotten by Arsenal in a season where he was sidelined by injury until the final league game played like he was in the form of his life. Mertesacker made two particularly outstanding interventions to deny Costa and managed to conjure up one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt, despite all expectation. It was stunning.
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