FA Cup Final: 9 things we learned as Arsenal ended nine-year trophy drought in epic fashion

 

Arsenal drought is over!

After eight years, 11 months and 26 days the Gunners have finally clambered their way back into the winner's circle.
But they certainly did it the hard way.
From 2-0 down inside 10 minutes, countless penalty appeals waved away, missing Germans and misfiring Frenchmen, to 3-2 up thanks to Aaron Ramsey's late heroics, they made it.
They even managed to survive a goalkeeper going AWOL at the death, but they made it.
Here's what we learned from a breathless FA Cup Final. Continue reading...

Slow-starting Arsenal. Again

Reuters

Tiger time: Hull started like a train at Wembley

 Wenger's men have been famously poor in early kick-offs this season with hidings at Liverpool, City and Chelsea primary examples.
But it seems a stuttering start is not reserved for lunchtime only and is just as palatable at tea time too.
The Gunners couldn't have began the Wembley showpiece worse if they tried with not one but two goals from Hull centre backs sending Wenger himself scrambling for the drawing board.

Cometh the hour, cometh Cazorla

 

Spanish intervention: Cazorla's early reply proved crucial later in the piece

 Lost in all the Ramseyness late on was just how important that first Cazorla goal was.
Just when it looked as though his team were ready to throw in their collective cup final towels the diminutive Spaniard stepped up - and stepped up big.
Standing over a 25 yard free kick the midfield maestro lashed it in past Allan McGregor to peg the Tigers back almost immediately.
You feel that, such is the fragility of this Arsenal team, if he hadn't found the net it could well have been game over after just 20 minutes.

Paging Olivier Giroud

Laurence Griffiths - The FA

French disconnection: Giroud couldn't get going for much of the afternoon

 Maybe it's the hours spent shaping that quiff, or the countless sleepless nights consigned to the sofa Olivier Giroud ain't quite right lately.
Sure there was that delicious goal against West Ham a few weeks back but in a major final you need your centre forward to be on his game.
And in this game, he simply wasn't.
The ruthless and rapier sharp chance-taker of the first half of the season seems a distant memory, and he never truly looked at the races at Wembley.
Improved with the introduction of Yaya Sanogo alongside him - and a delicious late back heel notwithstanding - must be filed under must do better.

Get him on the plane

Steve Bardens - The FA

Three Lion? Davies showed why he's so highly thought of on Humberside

 Many on the banks of the Humber have been championing Curtis Davies' cause for an unlikely call up for Brazil all season.
And after his titanic Wembley display Roy Hodgson may well be thinking twice about his decision to leave him out.
The Tigers skipper headed every ball, made every tackle and of course netted the second goal on an all action evening at the office.
He rode his luck at times but it was, as the cliche says, a real captain's knock.

Lost: Two German internationals. Last seen at 5pm

Tom Dulat - The FA

Missing in action: Ozil and Podolski again flattered to deceive

 While Giroud was as good as anonymous two of his supporting cast were just as lifeless.
Again when the pressure is on you need your biggest names to step up - for Arsenal no name is bigger than that of Mesut Ozil.
I've defended the £42m German before but he was a peripheral figure at best at Wembley. It's true that he needs more teammates running beyond him to be at his effervescent best but he still needed to do more when his team needed him the most.
Lukas Podolski hasn't even got that excuse. An extremely poor display from a man with 112 international caps. Not good enough.

Gunners pay the penalty

Steve Bardens - The FA

Waved away: The Gunners saw a number of appeals turned down

 It was one of those days for Arsenal where nothing, Cazorla's thumping goal aside, seemed to be going their way.
Luck always plays a part but on another day Wenger's men could have had not one, not two but three penalties awarded.
Giroud and Cazorla were felled on two separate occasions while Jake Livermore seemed to handle the ball in the box in between.
Them's the breaks as they say ... until the denouement that is.

Hull take their chance

Action Images

Tigerish: Hull fought for their lives and did their city and fans proud

 When your opponent has an off day you have to capitalise and the Tigers did that at Wembley.
The blistering start left the Gunners floundering and they defended for their lives thereafter.
Regardless of the result they certainly didn't look like a team just one year removed from the Championship.
They were a credit to their city and the legion of orange and black who travelled the length of the country to roar them on.

Rambo 3(-2)

Action Images

Welsh dragon: Ramsey proved why he's now Arsenal's top gun

 Oh how Arsenal fans must wish the Welsh wizard had been fit all season.
What might have been?
But in the one match where they needed him the most he was fit - and he fired.
Given just a sniff of goal Ramsey pounced to send the Gunners faithful into raptures and end *that* trophy drought once and for all.
It is no coincidence that Arsenal's post-Xmas dip coincided with Ramsey's extended stay on the sidelines.
Ramsey is now, without doubt the Gunners' best player and he showed why on the biggest stage.