9 years of pain and frustration has finally come to an end as Arsenal managed to complete a dramatic final comeback win over Hull City 3-2 at Wembley Stadium. It was a moment of complete happiness for all Arsenal fans and the club as a whole. They lived up to the expectations and made the 2013/2014 season a special one. It is Arsenal's 11th FA Cup win and with that they have equaled Manchester United's record of 11 FA Cups.
The game started terribly for the Gunners as they went 2-0 down inside the opening 10 minutes and were shell shocked. Old woes seemed to have kicked in the players minds and the whole stadium was silenced by Hull's brilliant beginning to the game. But, Arsenal were determined not to throw this final away and left back Kieren Gibbs's off the line headed clearance gave Arsenal the impetus to get back into the game as quickly as possible. The Gunners have a very bad record in scoring free kick goals but on this occasion they were quite fortunate as Santi Cazorla's brilliantly taken free kick went in to start Arsenal's comeback. Although Arsenal kept on pressuring Hull's defense, the Tigers were able to keep the game at 2-1 at half-time. In the second half, Wenger made a vital substitution and brought on Sanogo for Podolski and that gave Hull something to worry about as the Gunners changed their formation to 4-4-2. Yaya Sanogo's strength enabled Arsenal to go up a gear and suddenly they were getting lots of possession in key areas. Santi Cazorla's corner kick was dramatically scored by none other than Arsenal's last game hero of the past 2 seasons, Laurent Koscielny to take the Gunners into extra-time and that's where Arsene Wenger master tactics proved fruitful as he brought on 2 fresh players in Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky. Hull couldn't handle Arsenal's series of attacks and were lucky to go into the half-time of extra-time with no goals conceded. But, the pressure got to them and Arsenal scored that vital match winner at the start of the second half of extra time and the match winner was none other than Arsenal's best player of the season, Aaron Ramsey. It was a special moment for the Welshman who turned down Manchester United in 2008 and chose to sign for Arsenal and then had to sit in the sidelines for a season and a half with a broken leg but his perseverance finally rewarded him as he lead Arsenal to glory after 9 long years and helped bring the first piece of silverware to Arsenal's new home, Emirates Stadium.
This win was marked as the greatest FA Cup achievement by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger who now have won his 5th FA Cup as the manager.
After 9 years of disappointment and having to see the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City win trophies one after the other, Arsenal have an opportunity for the fourth time since 2005 to win a silverware. After losing the final in the 2006 UEFA Champions League, 2007 and 2011 Carling Cup, the Gunners are now gunning for the the world's oldest cup competition i.e the FA Cup.
Team news: Thomas Vermaelen & Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are doubts for this final.
Easier said than done but Arsenal will have to be at their very best to end their 9 years long trophy drought. Finals are finals. One team has the same chance as the other and not being able to win a trophy since 2005 and losing 3 consecutive finals prior to this game will give the players a psychological pressure. But, the players must make themselves count and do a professional job on the day. The fans expects them to win this and the club also had to reach this stage the hard way as they have had to beat the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool, Everton etc. to make this final happen. It's about getting the job done and make this season a memorable one for everyone associated with this beautiful club.
Arsenal have ended the 2013/2014 league season with a comfortable routine 2-0 win over relegated side Norwich City. Arsenal have finished the season 4th for the second time in a row.
2 second half goals sealed the game for the Gunners. Ramsey's superb volleyed goal and Jenkinson's debut league goal for the club won them the game. Arsenal should have had a much bigger say in the title race this season which as we now know have been won by the blue of Manchester i.e Manchester City. But nonetheless, to finish once again inside top 4 and a chance to end our 9 years trophy drought next Saturday at Wembley can be considered a pretty good season. But, the season so far has been disappointing and if the club wants to acknowledge this as a good season then they must win the FA Cup next Saturday.
After 10 months of high intensity drama and action, the 2013/2014 Premier League season ends here and unlike the last 2 seasons, this year Arsenal have nothing to play for on the last day as they have already guaranteed themselves a top 4 finish after beating West Brom last weekend.
Team news: Jack Wilshere is back.
Although the Gunners have nothing to play for in this final Premier League fixture of the season but they must not get complacent as next weekend they will play arguably their biggest game since 2005 where they will look forward to end their 9 years long trophy drought so this game is a must win from a psychological point of view.
It was a boring match as Arsenal knew beforehand that their priority to snatch the 4th spot has been accomplished after seeing Everton lose earlier. But, they did managed to win the game through a beautiful header scored by Olivier Giroud.
There's nothing much to write about this particular game. Wenger rested Aaron Ramsey as he had a minor thigh strain and wanted to protect him for the big FA Cup final ahead. This was Arsenal's last home game of the season and throughout the season they had only lost once there so that's a very good sign for the next season. If they can improve on their away record then they can be a genuine title contender next year.
So here it is, after a hard fought season, full of ups and downs, the Gunners have arrived at their final home game of the season and with Everton losing last night against Manchester City, their quest to secure the 4th place seems to have been sealed.
Arsenal have had a good home form this season. Their only loss came in the opening game of the season. Since then, it has been almost flawless but their downfall this season has been their away form where they have suffered huge defeats on many occasions. But, Arsenal would hope to end the season on a high and for that they must continue their recent winning run.
Arsenal are well on their way to yet another top 4 finish after registering a strong win against a struggling Newcastle United side.
The Gunners dominated from start to finish which has been a rarity in the second half of the season for them. Laurent Koscielny opened up the scoring through an open header from a well taken corner. Soon after that, Mesut Ozil scored a slight offside goal which was accepted by the referee. Mesut Ozil then gave a sublime assist to Giroud which he headed into the net in fine fashion.
After that win, Arsenal just needs one more victory to secure a top 4 finish this season.
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