Arsenal vs. Hull (FA Cup Final 2014)

3-2, FA Cup Final, Wembley, 17 May 2014
Cazorla 17,
Koscielny 71,
Ramsey 109

Nine years (and 400 blog posts) down the road, we're back. However, in the true Arsenal spirit, it started out heading for disaster.

Within the first fifteen minutes we were two-nil down and Gibbs had just cleared a header, following a Hull corner, on the goal-line. The first goal did, coincidentally, come from a corner as a shot from outside the 18-yard-box, following a corner, was re-directed by a fellow Hull player into the goal. Four minutes later Hull scored yet again, Fabianski did make the initial save but the rebound was fired into the back of the net.
   Fortunately, from that moment on we were brilliant, created more or less all of the chances (at the very least it must have been 85% of them) and slowly but steadily got back in the game! It all started with getting one goal back fairly quick, and what a goal it was! Santi Cazorla thundered a free-kick into the top corner of the goal! Stunning goal to match the occasion from the Spaniard!
   Even though we would not grab another goal until the second half, we continued creating lots and lots of chances. Özil had a couple of brilliant chances midway through the half, the first one taking place right in front of the goal, but as he did not get a direct hit it did not end up on target. The second shot, however, was on target, unfortunately it was cleared by a defender just in front of the goal. Giroud wrapped up the half with a series chances of various kinds. The first being a shot that was blocked by a defender (with the follow-up by Podolski being cleared into a corner), the second being an effort from a rather steep angle going wide and the third and final being a cross into the box that just barely eluded all team-mates present.

We continued the second half in similar fashion, although it did take approximately twenty minutes until we actually began creating some decent chances again. Before that, however, Hull did have a shot going over the bar.
   Fortunately we were not left ruing this, but we had three penalty shouts in throughout the game, all of them were strong, but one in particular was completely obvious. In the first half, Giroud was brought down in the box by having an arm flung over his throat (not exactly standard football-playing, is it?), and then in the second half Cazorla was brought down in the box. But in between those two, there was one situation so obvious it could only be denied by a lack of competence from the ref. Or just complete ignorance, although that would most likely be a result of the lack of competence. Anyhow, a Hull player did, in their own box, flung out both hands in the box and struck the ball clear. How the ref could either have missed it or deemed it legit is beyond me.
   The goal that would buy us enough time to find the winner was not long in the coming, though, and it came at the hand (or rather, foot) of this one guy who keeps popping up with goals when we seem to need them the most: Laurent Koscielny. He fired past the 'keeper in the scramble following a corner! Brilliant from the absolutely amazing Frenchman!
   Although we would not score again in this half, Gibbs did get THE opportunity to win the game, but his strike from right in front of a virtually completely open goal went over the bar in an attempt to get it over the on-rushing 'keeper (which, by the way, it clearly did). Then Giroud and Sanogo fired away a few more shots before the game went into extra time, the former having two shots saved by the 'keeper and the latter firing a shot inches wide of the goal!

Entering extra time, it did not even take five minutes for Giroud to deliver a header onto the bar! It was a perfect cross from Ramsey who brought it about, and we would see more of the Welshman before the end of this clash... During the first fifteen minutes he forced a save out of the 'keeper and fired into the side-netting, but it was his achievement in the last fifteen minutes of the extra time that would make history.
   It was a goal that not only won us the game, but it won us the game in true Arsenal fashion. Giroud back-heeled the ball to the one and only Aaron Ramsey, who fired his shot right into the bottom corner of the goal! Yes, Aaron freakin' Ramsey. Rambo. He has definitely been our player of the season (at least he got my vote!) and he proved that one final time before the end of the season! However, it must be mentioned that we very nearly had to face penalties as Hull got forward and Fabianski went as far as to leave the 18-yard-box completely! Fortunately the shot went wide, although we had players running back, monitoring the shot. Fabianski then had to make an excellent save as Hull produced one last shot. We did, however, get the last say in the game as Rosicky's effort was saved on the line by a defender!

So, there it is then. Nine years later we're back as the winners of the FA Cup, and we're back winning a trophy! Cheers for this season Arsenal, I guess there's just one thing left to say: we did it.

Norwich vs. Arsenal

0-2, Premier League, Carrow Road, 11 May 2014
Ramsey 53,
Jenkinson 62


We ended the Premier League season on a high with this win over Norwich. Although the points in themselves mean little, since we had already secured the fourth spot last weekend, the win will give us a boost for next weekend, as our season is not quite over yet...

Although the first half was goalless, the second proved more bountiful with two goals that gave us the win. The first goal of this last PL game could very well be the best of the season, Giroud chipped the ball across the box to Aaron Ramsey, whose strike on volley went into the top corner of the goal! Absolutely stunning goal! The second goal came not even ten minutes later, and was no less special. Carl Jenkinson score his first goal for the first team, running into the box, reaching the ball and firing it into the back of the net! It is also worth to mention that Diaby came on for the final fifteen minutes of this game, hopefully his long injuries are behind him now!

So it was the younger generation that won the game for us, and they will hopefully be just as deadly on Saturday! But this was the end of the Premier League season of 13/14. It was a season that started with much promise and hope, but ended up as another season of reaching no higher than the fourth spot.

Arsenal vs. West Bromwich Albion

1-0, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 04 May 2014
Giroud 14

A solid, final home game of the season proved enough to grant us another three points as we secure the fourth spot in the league and a place in the Champions League for next season.

We scored just at the fifteen minute mark, Cazorla swung in a brilliant corner that was met by Olivier Giroud, who headed the ball into the back of the net as he outran the defender! The first half in general contained lots of decent chances for us and a very good over-all play.

WBA got forward a lot more in the second half and created several decent chances, but we did manage to hit the woodwork in the final fifteen minutes and Özil had a decent free-kick going on target.

1-0 to the Arsenal proved enough in this game, however, and we can now look ahead even further to the FA Cup final in a couple of weeks!