Arsenal will be returning to Wembley after making it there for the Emirates Emirates FA Cup semi-final which was against Manchester City on Saturday night.
A 2-1 win away at Sheffield United in the quarter-finals in June plungred us to the next stage. A penalty goal from Nicolas Pepe and a late one from Dani Ceballos made it possible.
It looked an impossible task as soon as we were handed our opponents but to be frank with you, I had the greatest hopes I have ever had so far this season as I know our great record in this competition.
Our opponent had the floor in the first 15 minutes. They launched deadly balls which we had to deal with through repeated clearances and blocks. We owe Granit Xhaka, David Luiz and Kieran Tierney some accolades in this regard.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did well to launch a half volley from Pepe's cross past Ederson and it was the opener and catalyst for events to unfold. The buildup to the goal was a fantastic one involving 18 passes among 10 players.
This seemed a perfect debt payment as the Gabonese international had earlier missed a big chance after being picked by David Luiz's delivery.
City were more fierce in the second half. Their tactic to switch Kevin de Bryune from the centre of midfield to the right meant a lot of trouble for us but good enough, David Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling lost chances when they got them. Our own Emi Martinez also didn't come to sleep.
Our captain's only clear chance of the second half came when Tierney directed a through ball at him. He confidently sent in his second as well as Arsenal's second for the night.
Our boss' gameplan yielded results as the players gave in their all to see that Arsenal progress to the final of the Emirates FA Cup. Besides deriving joy from our move to the next stage, it's also sweet to see Mikel Arteta beating his former boss and club.
We will get to know who we will challenge in the August 1 final after tomorrow's game between Manchester United and 3 FC. Why do I just feel that the Wembley Stadium is Emirates Stadium V2.0?
0 Comments
Your comments are highly welcomed but please be informed that comments which include abusive remarks, hate speech, racial discriminatory remarks and any other form of prejudice are prohibited. Also note that comments visibility is subject to moderation so they will not show immediately.