Jaimer Dela Cruz

Arsenal FC Finishes Season with a Silverware By Jaimer F. Dela Cruz It was a fitting end for Arsenal Fc’s season as they bagged their 13 th Football Association (The FA) Cup silverware home against the Premiere League champions Chelsea FC last Saturday at the historic Wembley Stadium. Arsene Wenger’s men made sure that they capitalized on a man advantage against Chelsea when Victor Moses got sent off for a second yellow card due to simulation. Since the start of the game, the Gunners were on a full. Speed attack and sharp passing. Their first goal came in on a controversial manner as it needed to be reviewed by a video assistant referee system. Barely two minutes in to the game, Arsenal are already putting a lot of pressure in to the Blues’ defense when Alexis Sanchez’s pass was headed back to him and he nudged it over the defense creating a massive space for him only to see Aaron Ramsay on an offside position. Ramsay, on the other hand, knew that he was offside so he didn’t bother going for the ball and just let Sanchez go through and put a shot in. There were confusions at the Wembley amongst the fans and the players if the goal will be counted but as per the new offside rule being implemented by the FA, an offside can only be called to a player if they approached the ball from an offside position. Having that said, the Gunners celebrated their goal at the fourth minute after the referee confirmed the goal. Arsenal was not happy to go in to the halftime with just a 1-nil lead and were looking to score another one as Ramsay’s shot was deflected by Thibaut Courtois then cleared out by Gary Cahill on the 15th minute and another missed chance, this time from Danny Welbeck as his header from the corner hit the post however Ramsay still can’t nudge it in. There’s a sight of hope on the 27 th minute for Chelsea when Diego Costa almost capitalized on a pass from Pedro only to find himself distracted by David Ospina whom he might’ve hit in the head during that action. Two minutes after the said attempt, they were caught on the back foot again as Welbeck and Hector Bellerin exchanged a one-two pass but Welbeck can’t put it through Courtois’ legs. Towards the end of the first half, the Blues tried to equalize with Pedro breaking free but his shot just flew past Ospina. A free kick on the dying minutes of the game could’ve sent them to the locker room in high spirit if not for Alonso’s free kick that was sent to the stands. With a cup double in mind, Chelsea came out of the dressing room with their eyes locked in to Ospina and the net behind him as they started a barrage of attack. N’Golou Kanté started the shots by firing a rocket but was deflected straight to Ospina’s hands. A minute after that Eden Hazard made a good pass to Costa only to see a tackle from Per Mertesacker cleared the ball out. At the 50th minute of the game, Arsenal was caught running again and Pedro tried to capitalized as he offloads the ball to Victor Moses but his shot went straight to the keeper. Chelsea, on the other hand, was caught sleeping as Sanchez sent a good ball up to Bellerin but wasn’t able to cross the ball towards Özil. There was another attack from Chelsea when Pedro tried from distance but his shot was well wide off the target. Wenger’s men caught the Blues again on the 64 th minute and Welbeck orchestrated a pass to Bellerin but he went straight to the keeper’s gloves. Then came the 67 th minute where the most controversial event of the game came as Victor Moses was shown a second yellow card after he dived inside the box without any touch from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He was previously booked for a foul against Welbeck. However, that didn't stopped Antonio Conte's men from pulling a goal back as Willian found Costa right in the middle of the box and the latter controlled the ball down gorgeously before volleying it past two Arsenal defenders and Ospina. The party didn't last for the blue side of London as Arsenal slotted their go-ahead goal moments after the celebrations of Costa's goal on the other side of the pitch. Aaron Ramsay, whose been on the end of many chances for a goal on the first half, was on the receiving end of a beautiful cross from Olivier Giroud. As the ball came to him, he slotted the ball in with a thunderous header to put the nail in the coffin and have them ahead against their London rivals. It could've been 2-2 when Costa got another chance on the other end but was magnificently saved by Ospina to the delight of Nacho Monreal and the Arsenal fans. As the game reaches the end, Bellerin looked to score another one but just gone off target. After 94 minutes, Arsenal prevailed and made them the winningest team in England with 13 FA Cup titles under their belt, seven of which came from the frenchman Arsene Wenger whose future with the club is uncertain. “For once, I have kept my medal,” Wenger said who usually gives his medal to his staff members. “So that means it's a special night for me.” This might be the last time we see him conducting the Gunners. “ I don't think I can answer that question , at the moment” the 67-year-old frenchman said when asked about his chances to manage the squad next season. “It's down to the board members if I am the right man to lead this club further. It's not about popularity, it's about competence.” He continued. The Gunners were eliminated from the Champions League for the seventh consecutive season in the last 16 and they won't be back as they missed on a Champions League place for next season and finished fifth place in the Premiere League, his lowest since taking over the club back in 1996. Still, the 7 th FA Cup title from him still keeps it at par from his 200304 season where he led the squad to an unbeaten season which dubbed them to be the Invincibles.