LONDON -- Following Arsenal’s 3-2 win against Hull City on Saturday in the FA Cup final at Wembley, the Gunners came back from 2-0 down to win a record-equaling 11th FA Cup.
The Gunners never seem to do things the easy way and this sensational comeback was certainly one of those occasions.
MORE: Arsenal’s incredible comeback wins FA Cup final vs. Hull, first trophy since ’05
Hull raced into a 2-0 lead inside eight minutes and they battled incredible hard for the entire game as the Gunners fought back in dramatic fashion.
We learned many things from Arsenal’s first trophy win since 2005, here are three.
Arsenal’s slow start, once again, almost cost them
Away at Manchester City. Away at Liverpool. Away at Chelsea. Then again in the FA Cup final. Arsenal’s slow starts were a constant throughout the 2013-14 season. Starting two or three goals behind has put Arsenal in a bad spot in huge PL games this season and they never recovered. Luckily, for them, on Saturday Hull only went 2-0 ahead after seven minutes. Two set pieces launched into the box saw first James Chester flick home and then Curtis Davies reacted quickly as Hull’s aerial bombardment unsettled Arsenal from the start. Steve Bruce and his staff certainly did their homework and it could have been 3-0 after 12 minutes if Alex Bruce’s header wasn’t cleared off the line. Arsenal haven’t been able to handle face-paced attacks from the get-go all season and they must work on their sluggish starts if they are going to add more silverware to the trophy cabinet at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners were lucky to get away with their horrendous start.
Hull’s five-man defense biggest help/hindrance
The Tigers’ defenders defended like, er, well, Tigers... for most of the game but they came unstuck several times in extra time as they tried to overplay at the back. There were simply too many men at the back as Hull’s players got in each others way. Throughout the first 60 minutes they threw themselves in front of challenges, made herculian blocks and were extremely well organized. However when they started to falter, tiredness and the tireless running of Yaya Sanogo off the bench was a recipe for disaster. Hull went 2-0 up after eight minutes and they didn’t know what to do. Barely a threat going forward all game, only Sone Aluko’s effort towards the end of extra time came close to Hull scoring a third. Many call Hull’s five-man defense anti-football but until the 71st minute it looked incredibly likely it would win them the FA Cup. Their biggest strength became their Achilles heel.
Wenger’s extra time gamble pays off
After 105 minutes of keeping Arsenal at bay Hull hardly needed to see Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky both fresh as daises and jumping off the bench in extra time. Within seconds the duo had combined to tear Hull apart and Arsenal almost went 3-2 up with a slaloming one-two into the penalty box. That unsettled the Tigers as Wilshere and Rosicky’s energetic running and clever moves found space for Sanogo to create havoc for the winning goal, where Giroud broke free and Ramsey was left unmarked to play the hero. Wenger’s decision to keep both Wilshere and Rosicky on the bench until the last 15 minutes proved masterful and showed that the Frenchman still has that magic touch, even after nine years without a trophy.