The Arsenal players celebrate their dramatic Cup Final victory over Hull at Wembley. An Aaron Ramsey strike in extra-time secured the win after Hull had taken an early two-goal lead

Published: 18 May, 2014
by RICHARD OSLEY at WEMBLEY STADIUM

FA CUP FINAL
ARSENAL 3, HULL CITY 2 (after extra time)

IT can’t just be simple, can it? It never is with Arsenal. The Gunners diced with disaster on the Wembley turf, and yet the manner in which they finally won the FA Cup on Saturday evening, in a way, made it all the more the Fever Pitch moment. 

Seven minutes into final which Arsenal’s celebratory bus signwriters had already called for the Gunners, Hull City were 2-0 up and looked like they could score on every setpiece. Kieran Gibbs cleared off the line when Alex Bruce’s header was looping goalwards. Had they fallen three behind, who knows whether this wonderful comic-book afternoon would have concluded with such joyous scenes. For, they were joyous. English football’s doubted sage, Arsene Wenger, being soaked in champagne for the first time in nine years and tossed in the air like a ragdoll by his players.

Arsene Wenger talks to his players before extra-time

If his back was hurting after that, when he walked into his post-match press conference, he wasn’t going to let it show. Journalists who at one point or another have mocked him and his methods, this time gave him a polite round of applause as he entered the room.

“It was a demonstration in how not to start an FA Cup final,” he said.

Of course, if you are going to fall two down in the cup final, it’s preferable that such calamity happens at the start of the match, than at the end. But for the last 80 minutes, Arsenal were left trying to put right what went wrong in the first 10.

First, James Chester had diverted into the net a long-range shot from Tom Huddlestone, which had been going wide, on three minutes. Then Curtis Davies stabbed into an empty goal after a header had come back off the post for the second. 

"Sacked in the morning", Hull’s day-outers barracked the Arsenal manager with. It was almost too stunning to take in, such an awful start that it was almost some sort of black comedy.

Wenger acknowledged afterwards that it was important to get at least one goal back before half-time and the significance of Santi Cazorla’s free-kick goal on 15 minutes cannot be underestimated. Arsenal have toiled with free-kicks this season and yet Cazorla’s back catalogue from La Liga has always suggested he would one day hit the bullseye. What a time to revoke the skill of finding the top corner. It was a gem of a goal.

The worry next, with the deficit halved, was that Arsenal would simply assume the equaliser would come without the urgency needed to claim one, and the first half drifted away without it coming. In turn, the minutes of the second were drained by Hull’s predictable age-long goalkicks and sudden injuries.

It was delight for Wenger at last

Arsenal had two or three shouts for a penalty but the frustration was really brewing when they finally found a beautiful, ugly goal as Laurent Koscielny popped up in the six-yard box, an area where he has been a hero before, to bundle in Bacary Sagna’s repelled header. For a player surely heading to Manchester City, Sagna was professional all day and clearly delighted to be leaving with the not insignificant momento of an FA Cup winner's medal.

Fans had greater affection, however, for Tomas Rosicky on the day, as the one who had stayed for all those barren years and finally won a trophy. Yes, he had been injured for long periods but his is a rare case where loyalty was matched with loyalty.

It would have been unfair if Arsenal had not completed the comeback. Hull had retreated and were searching for a penalty shootout as Gibbs flashed a shot over the bar when found he found himself in "Gibbs must score" territory late on. Olivier Giroud, one minute ineffective, the next inspired, hit the crossbar once extra time began. Sub Yaya Sanogo was a bustling presence up front, always just one turn away from a great chance.

After an afternoon where Ramsey had set up chances for Giroud, only for opportunities to pass, the winner came when the roles were reversed. Giroud, in one of his inspired moments, back-heeled to Ramsey who drilled in on 109 minutes. Arsenal’s player of the season, himself doubted by the fans last season, was an appropriate match clincher.

He cost £5 million. Not £50 million.

Ramsey lies on the ground after scoring the winning goal

Wenger’s masterstroke, however, might just have been to save the fresh legs of Rosicky and Jack Wilshere for the second period of extra time. Against tired Tiger legs, they added the extra drive to ensure the Gunners did not have to face spot-kicks. 

There was still time for this horrible, hectic yet wholly thrilling afternoon to give Arsenal one more fright. Per Mertesacker and Lukas Fabianski were both in a flap when Sone Aluko was somehow allowed to round the goalkeeper. His shot angled wide and another Wembley catastrophe, the ilk of the Birmingham League Cup final defeat here, was avoided. The sense of relief was expressed best when Mertesacker and Giroud sunk to their knees, Platoon-style, at the final whistle. They’d done it. Wenger, now a five-time FA Cup winner, was on top again.

“Five times,” he grinned. “That’s not bad.”

ARSENAL: Fabianski, Sagna, Gibbs, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Arteta (c), Podolski (Sanogo 61), Ozil (Wilshere 105), Cazorla (Rosicky 105), Ramsey, Giroud
Subs not used: Vermaelen, Szczesny, Flamini, Monreal
Attendance: 89,345