The 2014 2015 season certainly treated Arsenal well. While the football club ultimately couldn't worm their way into the runner-up position of this year's English Premier League, they did land in third, which is their best finish in the division since 2011 2012. They also won more games (22) than they have in a Premier League campaign since 2010, and had one of the top five goalscorers (Alexis Sanchez) in the soccer league. And finally, to top it off Arsenal win FA Cup 2015!
Now, with a victory over Aston Villa in the 2014 2015 FA Cup, Arsenal's season has gotten a whole lot sweeter. The victory marks back-to-back FA Cup titles for the Gunners, as well as a record 12th victory in the venerated soccer tournament. Last year, when Arsenal beat Hull City for the trophy, they tied Manchester United's record of 11 FA Cup trophies. This year, the Gunners have officially broken that record, and now stand by themselves at the top of the Football Association Cup history.
Arsenal vs. Aston VillaÂ
When the Gunners donned the Arsenal away shirt 2014 2015 on Saturday and took the pitch at London's Wembley Stadium, they were already strongly favored to win the high-stakes soccer match. They'd beaten Manchester United back in the quarterfinals, and had survived an unpredictable tournament that had taken out heavyweights like Chelsea, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur early on.
Still, even if Arsenal were the defending champions and the frontrunners, they still had to take on their opponents: Aston Villa. The Claret and Blue have surprised a lot of people throughout this year's FA Cup, showing unexpected confidence in games against fellow Premier League teams like Leicester City, West Bromwich Albion, and Liverpool.
However, when it came to facing off against the Gunners, at Wembley, for all the marbles, the wearers of the Aston Villa home jersey 2014 2015 ultimately succumbed to the pressure.
A Runaway Victory
That's not to say that Aston Villa played badly, per se. They held their own throughout the match in terms of possession, and kept Arsenal off the board for the majority of the first half. However, the Claret and Blue were also plagued by foals (five different players collected yellow cards throughout the match), and simply didn't have the offensive or defensive strength to stand up to the seasoned Arsenal squad.
When the Gunners' Theo Walcott landed the first goal of the FA Cup championship at the 40-minute mark (with a strong assist from Alexis Sanchez), it kicked Arsenal's momentum into high gear. The defending champions went on to play a dazzling second half, with goals from Sanchez (50 minutes), defender Per Mertesacker (62), and attacker Olivier Giroud (90+3) distancing them further and further from their challengers.
The Aftermath
Giroud's last-minute goal put Arsenal up 4-0 at full time-the biggest victory in an FA Cup final since Manchester United beat Chelsea with the same score in 1994.
For fans in the Aston Villa jersey, it was a disappointing end to a mostly disappointing season. The Claret and Blue landed at 17th place on the 2014 2015 Premier League table, only narrowly avoiding relegation. In essence, reaching the FA Cup title was the lone bright spot for the club's football season.
For fans in the Arsenal shirt, the FA Cup final was both a victory and a promise for bigger, and better things in 2015 2016. This was Arsenal's best season since 2004 2005, when they won the FA Cup and finished in second place in the Premier League. With top talent like Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud, and Theo Walcott all expected back in 2014 2015, the Gunners might just be ready to beat Chelsea and Manchester United to the top of the Premier League table.
As The Guardian noted, Arsenal's FA Cup victory song-Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up"-sends the message that the Gunners are ready to finally contend for a title. The club hasn't won a league championship since 2003 2004. Could 2015 2016 be the season where that changes?
Only time will tell, but for now you can celebrate as Arsenal win FA Cup 2015 as well as their new 12 title record with an Arsenal football shirt from Soccer Box.
