Arsenal narrowly beat Wigan on penalties to reach the FA Cup final.

Wigan are only playing in the Championship, but Arsenal had to work very hard to reach the final after winning on penalties. With this hard-fought victory, the Gunners continue to harbor hopes of ending their eight-year trophy drought.

The joy of victory for the Arsenal players.

GOAL

Wigan: Jordi Gomez (63')

Arsenal: Mertesacker (82')

ARSENAL'S DEADLOCK

Arsenal entered the match against Wigan with a heavy heart. In the Premier League, they had officially been overtaken by Everton for a place in the top four. Perhaps because of this, Arsene Wenger's team played very sluggishly from the opening whistle, despite controlling the game.

Statistics show that Arsenal had 62% possession in the first half. However, the Gunners didn't create many dangerous opportunities. Throughout the first 45 minutes, they only managed two notable chances. In the 5th minute, following a cross from Oxlade-Chamberlain, the young striker, surprisingly given a starting place by Wenger, Sanogo had a dangerous header, but goalkeeper Scott Carson made a diving save. After that, it wasn't until the 42nd minute that Arsenal created another dangerous situation in front of Wigan's goal. This time, the opportunity was again given to Sanogo. A shaky clearance by a Wigan defender allowed Sanogo to break through and face Carson, but the French striker's final shot was saved by the former England goalkeeper.

Arsenal's lackluster performance was largely due to the poor form of Wenger's midfielders. Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey, the players expected to perform well, both underperformed in the first 45 minutes. Throughout the first half, neither Cazorla nor Ramsey had any connection with striker Sanogo. Furthermore, it's worth mentioning Wigan's excellent concentration. Coach Uwe Rosler's team didn't engage in midfield challenges with Arsenal. Instead, Wigan's midfield dropped deep, combined with a back four forming a very tight two-layered defense in front of Carson's goal.

SWEATING OUT IN THE FINAL

In the second half, the game remained unchanged. Arsenal still had more possession but struggled to get close to Wigan's goal. Meanwhile, the Championship team relied solely on counter-attacks, waiting for mistakes from the Arsenal defense.

In the 59th minute, what Wigan had been waiting for finally happened. Callum McManaman dribbled across the penalty area, causing Per Mertesacker to make a clumsy foul. A penalty for Arsenal. At that moment, the Arsenal fans in the Wembley stands sensed disaster. From the penalty spot, Jordi Gomez didn't miss the unexpected opportunity to open the scoring for Wigan.

It was only at this point that Wenger made adjustments in attack, bringing Olivier Giroud on to replace Lukas Podolski. From then on, the pressure intensified. In the 79th minute, Sagna headed the ball past Carson, but unfortunately for Arsenal, it hit the post. Just one minute later, Gibbs had another dangerous header, but Crainey managed to get back and clear the ball off the goal line. However, the Gunners didn't have to regret it for long. In the 82nd minute, Mertesacker joined the attack and headed the ball in from close range to equalize 1-1 for Arsenal.

The score remained 1-1 after 90 minutes of regulation time and 30 minutes of extra time. The match had to be decided by a penalty shootout. Arsenal won 4-2 on penalties, securing their place in the final. Wenger's team continues to harbor hopes of ending their eight-year trophy drought.

STARTING LINEUP

Wigan:Carson, Perch, Boyce, Ramis (Caldwell, 86'), Crainey, McArthur, McEachran (Collison, 64'), McManaman (Powell, 68'), Beausejour, Gomez, Fortune.

Arsenal:Fabianski, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Monreal (Gibbs, 63'), Arteta, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey (Källström, 113'), Cazorla, Podolski (Giroud, 68'), Sanogo.

According to Bongdaplus