DID you believe? At five minutes to three? What about when a perfectly good goal was disallowed? What about when Man City started a love affair with the woodwork?

Ok, did you honestly believe just passed the hour mark when Sergio Aguero finally broke the deadlock

The answer is a resounding non.

None of us did. None of us honestly thought that Arsenal would win at Wembley this afternoon (Sunday) to book their third FA Cup final in three seasons.

Even when Lady Luck was doing everything in her power to keep City at bay, few, maybe even none, of the Gooner faithfuls believed that they would be booking a return to Wembley next month.

That is, except, most importantly of all, the Arsenal players. Before the game they declared that they wanted to win the trophy for their underfire Gunners’ boss – and their performance on the pitch proved it.

For once Gabriel looked like a capable defender, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was a man possessed, covering every blade of grass… twice.

Nacho Monreal scored a goal with his weaker foot that any striker would be proud of, and was often the furthest Arsenal player forward – whether that’s a good thing in a team that has Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in their ranks is another story.

I’m not suggesting for a split second that the nail-biting 2-1 victory papers over the cracks that are clearly visible in north Lonon. I’m not even suggesting that if Arsenal beat Chelsea in the final then a new contract would be a worthy reward.

But for once it’s nice to watch Arsenal play and only want to talk about the game afterwards. Well, that and Hector Bellerin’s woeful haircut.

Say what you want about how bad life is at the Emirates this season, and how great life is down the road at Tottenham… but only one of those clubs can guarantee that their season will still be alive come May 27.