Arsenal thrash Villa for more FA Cup success

By Charlie Ellis
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Updated: May 31, 2015

Arsenal hammered Aston Villa 4-0 in the FA Cup Final to become the most successful team in the competitions history.

The Gunners have now won a dozen FA Cups, while manager Arsene Wenger has now lifted the trophy six times, only Geoff Ramsey – Villa manager early in the 20th century – has had as much success in the competition.

The 4-0 scoreline was also the biggest in a Cup Final for 21 years.

Theo Walcott opened the scoring five minutes before half-time at Wembley on Saturday, vindicating Wenger’s decision to start the England forward ahead of Olivier Giroud.

A wonder goal by Arsenal fans’ Player of the Year Alexis Sanchez made it 2-0 before a Per Mertesacker header put the game beyond Tim Sherwood’s Villa.

Giroud came on off the bench to round off the victory at the death as Arseanal comfortably retained the Cup.

Villa managed just two shots in the entire game and failed to hit either of them on target, whereas the dominant Gunners managed to get half of their 16 efforts at goal on target.

Wenger told the Daily Mirror he still has the desire to win more silverware at the Emirates Stadium; “I have two more years of my contract and my hunger is great. I want to do well,” he said.

As well as selecting Walcott ahead of Giroud, the French man also opted to start Wojciech Szczesny in goal in place of David Ospina and Wenger said it was a tough team selection dilemma ahead of the final:

“I had a difficult week to pick the team. But when the confidence and spirit is so good it helps. Look, I am very proud. Our club is doing well and if I can personally do well then it’s even better.

“We have shown that we are a real team and can deal with pressure. I congratulate the players, the staff and the fans. We are so happy tonight.”

Meanwhile, defeated manager Sherwood said his Villa side has a ‘losing mentality’ and said his team gave their fans ‘nothing to cheer’:
“We gave the fans nothing to cheer about today but I promise them it will get better,” Sherwood told BBC Sport.

“We’ve stayed in the division but we have a losing mentality. We don’t want to be scraping relegation next season.”