Arsenal have won their second straight FA Cup and record 12th overall by absolutely hammering Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium.
Arsenal absolutely dominated Aston Villa in Wembley Stadium, winning the FA Cup final 4-0 thanks to some terrific goals and lifting the trophy for the 12th time, more than any other team in England ever has.
The first half was best described as "one way traffic." Arsenal putimmense pressure on Aston Villa's defense and midfield from the first whistle, dominating possession and quickly forcing Villa into desperation defending. Arsenal were faster, sharper, more aggressive and more assertive in every phase of the game, while Villa scrambled just to keep the Gunners at bay.
Some impressive defending and goalkeeping from Aston Villa kept the scoreline level for a long time, but for all the reaction saves, heart-stopping blocks and desperate clearances, it was still obvious that Arsenal would eventually score. It seemed like they were banging down the door every time you blinked, keeping near-constant pressure on Villa and not giving their opponents time to breathe, much less put together any kind of dangerous attack of their own.
That Arsenal goal finally came in the 40th minute, with Theo Walcott lashing in from fairly close range, finally beating Shay Given after coming up short on several previous tries. There wasn't enough time to get a second before halftime, but it definitely felt like a second was coming, and the Gunners got it just moments in to the second half. Alexis Sanchez was given a little bit too much space just outside the box by Villa's defense, and he punished them for it but smashing a shot past Given, who appeared to have it covered just before it swerved away from him at the last second.
Two goals were probably enough against an Aston Villa side that looked helpless against their opponents, but Arsenal added a third for good measure when Per Mertesacker headed home a corner kick just after the hour mark. With a 3-0 scoreline in hand, Arsenal just had to hold on -- then added a fourth goal in stoppage time just because they could.
Arsenal are lifting the FA Cup for the 12th time, a record in the competition. Last year saw the Gunners pull even with Manchester United with 11 wins, but now they stand alone. Credit to Aston Villa for getting this far and fighting bravely, but once the first whistle blew, it didn't take long to see who would be winning this match. It's been a fantastic season in England, and this final was a good way to cap it all off.
Arsenal: Wojciech Szczesny; Hector Bellerin, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Francis Coquellin, Santi Cazorla; Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Özil (Jack Wilshere 77;), Alexis Sanchez (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 90'); Theo Walcott (Olivier Giroud 77')
Goals: Walcott (40'), Sanchez (50'), Mertesacker (62'), Giroud (90'+2)
Aston Villa: Shay Given; Alan Hutton, Jores Okore, Ron Vlaar, Kieran Richardson (Leandro Bacuna 68'); Tom Cleverley, Ashley Westwood(Carlos Sanchez 71'), Fabian Delph; Charles N'Zogbia (Gabby Agbonlahor 53'), Christian Benteke, Jack Grealish
Goals: None.
3 things
1. Arsenal learned from past Cup final mistakes
Arsenal came out swinging and didn't stop for a moment all match long, showing that they've learned the lesson that they and other big clubs have been taught from previous Cup finals. Time and again we've seen a big side face a smaller one in a final, and the bigger club doesn't seem to take it seriously right away. They just control the match, maybe get a goal and just kind of sit on their laurels. Then out of nowhere, the smaller club get a goal or two -- either equalizing or taking the lead for themselves -- and there's usually not enough time left to recover. Arsenal have lost Cup finals with that kind of approach before, so this year they made sure that wouldn't happen to them again, and are record holders because of it.
2. Tim Sherwood got a lot of things wrong
Make no mistake, Aston Villa did brilliantly to get to the FA Cup final. But in the big match itself, he hamstrung himself with his team selection, and that made things easier for Arsenal than they needed to be. Shay Given had been Villa's cup competition goalkeeper all season long, so starting him is understandable, but against an attack as good as Arsenal's, maybe starting your actual No. 1 goalkeeper is the right call. Then there's the midfield, where his only real "destroyer" in Carlos Sanchez was left on the bench despite a desperate need for such a player in this match. Sure, Sanchez is always a candidate for a crazy red card, but Villa needed his tenacity and defensive skill in a bad way. You also can't ignore Sherwood's strange obsession with Charles N'Zogbia, who has consistently been mediocre for Villa and frequently been quite bad, but has doggedly been kept in the lineup despite far better options being available.
3. Give them credit: Aston Villa never gave up
Even with the one-sided nature of the match, some strange refereeing decisions going against them and the massive gulf of talent between them and Arsenal, Aston Villa never once put their heads down and accepted their fate. They fought tooth and nail for 90 minutes, even if they seemed to hardly have a chance. They deserved better than the 4-0 final scoreline, and if they can use this season's cup runs as a building block, they could be a much more dangerous team in the Premier League sooner than people think. This is a good side; they just need a little bit of luck and a couple more smart purchases for us to see just how good they can
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