Oops, we’ve done it again! The Gunners celebrate

Published: 4 June, 2015
by RICHARD OSLEY

TO win the FA Cup once was clever, to win it twice in a row was so glorious that those familiar voices of jealousy were drowned in such a deep well of desperation that they amounted to nothing more than pipsqueak embarrassment.

The more sensible witnesses doffed hats to these back-to-back Gunners, marking the triumph for what it was, a moment of history in the world’s oldest cup competition. 

Arsenal, after all, have now emerged as the FA Cup’s greatest conquerers with this 4-0 triumph over Aston Villa.

As 12-time winners, clubs with more money but lesser histories were suddenly in the shadow of an achieve­ment that they could now spend decades chasing. And that’s why the Arsenal fans could be found in hearty voice as they left Wembley stadium late on Saturday evening, slowly departing the scene of perhaps the classiest performance you will have seen in the FA Cup’s final match. 

Everybody had the right to feel awestruck, walking away from the fireworks knowing they had seen players at the peak of their craft. Significantly, the Arsenal dominance was constructed with a beautiful, Arselona passing game. They may not quite have cracked the rough stuff, the tough tackling, but when Arsenal are on song they can hardly be matched for grace and ingenuity. 

You could set classical music to the speed of Walcott headed by the intelligent interchanges of Ozil, Ramsey and Cazorla, and that special, special goal from Alexis Sanchez. 

The New Journal’s Richard Osley at Wembley

Certainly, when Arsenal abandon the strategy of tossing crosses towards Olivier Giroud’s hit-and-miss head, like they did on the day, they have reached their closest impersonation of the Three Musketeer days of Henry, Pires and Vieira. It hasn’t just been about winning, it’s about how they’ve won these two cups. In style.

Soulless doubters were quick to mention how limp Tim Sherwood’s mess of a team were on the day, forgetting this two year unbeaten tournament run has seen Arsenal despatch the apparent bigger beasts of Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham and Manchester United too. 

The achievement is greater because only once – in a home win against Coventry – have they faced a team below at least Championship level. This is easy to put into context when you recall how Chelsea surrendered at home to League Two Bradford this season, a result which shows even the simplest task can be an open ditch. 

If Villa was too easy, what were Bradford?

But this is no time to worry about opponents’ failings. For these days are about Arsenal, and you could feel it in the red and white shirts being inappropriately worn to workplaces on Monday morning, the extra bonhomie in shops, cafés and on public transport this week. 

On Saturday night, Sunday morning, every bus stop, every tube platform seemed to have a Gooner there, heading to the next party. North London’s red half is at peace with itself once more, celebrating once again.

In these delightful days, we would all do well to gloss over the fact that the pledges to turn cup success into a league championship challenge were followed up with clashing newspaper stories which claimed the club wants to sign James Milner and extend Mikel Arteta’s contract. Arsene Wenger almost stumbled into his most electric, most powerful starting XI through the sideways-passing Arteta’s injury. 

Yet by accident or design the Gunners are back on top. The yellow ribbons can be worn all summer, keep the red and white flag hoisted in your bar windows. 

Wenger has won the FA Cup twice in a row before. And let us dream of the party that never ends for a moment – one more triumph next year, and does he get to keep it? He should. It would be the perfect retirement present for a manager who has generated so much joy in our corner of London.