There is a theory that every time Aaron Ramsey scores a goal, a celebrity dies. Now, readers, if we get really, really lucky Rambo’s FA Cup winner might see off both Piers Morgan and Katie Hopkins because FA Cup winning goals must count double, right? The 2017 FA Cup Final was one of the better ones in recent years. Cast completely as a David vs Goliath battle between the giant might of Chelsea, Premier League Champions, and little old Arsenal, the plucky little underdogs with a clueless manager, an aged central defender that had only managed 37 minutes of football all season and had narrowly avoided relegation this season, finishing 5th.
Arsene lamented the lack of respect shown to his team and the fact that everyone had written them off before the game had started. Arsene, even you must have understood why. We have all seen Robinson’s Jelly with a stronger backbone than your boys. But, credit where credit is due the Gunners managed to turn in a completely non-Arsenal like performance and shock the footballing world and deny Chelsea the double. Sure, Sanchez’s goal was so handball it would not have looked out of place if the Harlem Globetrotters were the pre-match entertainment but that does not matter. Arsenal deserved their win, and Arsene will no doubt be rewarded with at least a five-year-deal.
The best moments of the match, for me, were Rob Holding clearly calling Diego Costa what 99% of us think he is and the fact that a German World Cup winning defender was able to put in a man-of-the-match performance at the back. The way the “pundits” were talking about Per you could only assume Wenger had pulled this guy out of the pub before the game, thrown him a shirt and said “just try not to do anything stupid”. As for Victor Moses? Well, as Jamie Redknapp would have probably said if Sky were covering the match, “nobody wants to see young English talent doing that”.
All in all, a great day for Arsenal meaning that they now qualify for the Champions League. Oh, wait. No, my mistake – it’s still Thursday night football for them even if they did run around as if they had been told they could sneak into the real party next season.
Finally, Watford appointed Marco Silva who was said to be “excited by the club’s plans” which, I presume, means he is excited at the prospect of being sacked next season and receiving a handsome pay-off.