The Sunday News
Aaron Ramsey struck a 109th-minute winner as Arsenal fought back from two goals down to beat Hull City in extra time and win the FA Cup, ending their nine-year wait for a trophy.
Despite it being their first ever FA Cup final, Hull flew out of the traps and were two goals in front inside the first 10 minutes.
They took the lead after just three minutes when Tom Huddlestone’s first-time volley from the edge of the area was turned into the corner of the net by James Chester.
It would be a defender who scored the second too, as Curtis Davies sidefooted home from a narrow angle after Alex Bruce’s header flicked off the outside of the post.
Bruce then almost put Hull an unthinkable three goals in front, but his looping header was cleared off the line by Kieran Gibbs.
Arsenal halved the deficit in the 17th minute when Santi Cazorla’s curling free kick evaded the dive of Allan McGregor, who could only fingertip it onto the underside of the crossbar and in.
The action-packed nature of the game cooled following Cazorla’s strike, with chances at a premium in the rest of the first half.
After the break Arsenal had two decent penalty shouts waved away by referee Lee Probert before they found an equaliser 20 minutes from time.
Bacary Sagna’s header in the area ricocheted off Chester and broke kindly for Laurent Koscielny, who bundled the ball under McGregor and into the net.
The Gunners should have taken the lead in the 79th minute when Kieran Gibbs collected the ball in space in front of the goal. He took a touch to steady himself but then blazed over the bar from just six yards.
Moments later Arsenal again appealed for a penalty but once more Probert shook his head despite David Meyler’s clumsy challenge from behind on Cazorla.
Olivier Giroud and Yaya Sanogo couldn’t take late chances, meaning that extra time was needed.
Soon after the restart Giroud rattled the crossbar with a header before Aaron Ramsey fizzed a shot against the side-netting.
The winning goal came 11 minutes from time when Ramsey, running onto a Giroud backheel, picked out the bottom corner with a crisp outside-of-the-boot strike.
Sone Aluko almost scored a dramatic late equaliser when he beat Lukasz Fabianski to a ball on the wing and tried to find the net from a tight angle but could only curl it agonisingly across the face of goal.
Arsenal did manage to hold firm in the final minutes to win their first major trophy since the 2005 FA Cup. – Sportsmole
