Winning Wigan on penalties, Arsenal struggled to reach FA Cup final

Wigan are only playing in the First Division but Arsenal had to struggle to get a ticket to the final after winning on penalties. With this hard-fought victory, the Gunners continue to nurture the hope of ending their title drought after 8 consecutive years without a trophy.

The joy of victory of Arsenal players

GOAL

Wigan: Jordi Gomez (63')

Arsenal: Mertesacker (82')

ARSENAL'S DEADLINE

Arsenal entered the match against Wigan with a heavy heart. In the Premier League, they were officially replaced by Everton in the Top 4. Perhaps because of that, Arsene Wenger's team played very heavily after the opening whistle, despite being the team controlling the game.

Statistics show that in the first half, Arsenal held the ball up to 62%. However, the Gunners did not create many dangerous opportunities. During the first 45 minutes, they only created 2 notable situations. In the 5th minute, after Oxlade-Chamberlain's cross, the young striker was unexpectedly given a starting position by Wenger. Sanogo had a rather tricky header but goalkeeper Scott Carson still managed to fly to block it. After that move, it was not until the 42nd minute that Arsenal created another dangerous situation in front of Wigan's goal. This time, the opportunity was given to Sanogo. The Wigan defender's uncertain clearance allowed Sanogo to rush down to face Carson, but the French striker's final shot was blocked by the former England goalkeeper.

The reason Arsenal played so poorly was largely due to the incompetence of Wenger's midfielders. Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey, the most expected players, both played below their best in the first 45 minutes. Throughout the first half, Cazorla and Ramsey had almost no contact with striker Sanogo. Besides, it is also necessary to mention that Wigan maintained extremely good concentration. Coach Uwe Rosler's team did not rush into midfield disputes with Arsenal. Instead, Wigan's midfield was pulled down low, combined with the back four to build up two extremely tight defensive layers in front of Carson's goal.

SWEATING TO THE FINAL

In the second half, the game remained unchanged. Arsenal still had more possession but had a lot of difficulty in approaching Wigan's goal. Meanwhile, the First Division team only relied on counter-attacks, waiting for Arsenal's defense to make mistakes.

In the 59th minute, what Wigan had been waiting for finally happened. Callum McManaman dribbled across the penalty area, causing Per Mertesacker to fumble and illegally block. Penalty for Arsenal. At this moment, the Gunners fans sitting in the Wembley stands could smell the disaster. From the 11m mark, Jordi Gomez did not miss the chance to unexpectedly open the score for Wigan.

It was only then that Wenger made some adjustments to the attack when he sent Olivier Giroud on to replace Lukas Podolski. From there, the pressure continued to build. In the 79th minute, Sagna headed past Carson but unfortunately for Arsenal, the ball went straight to the post. Exactly 1 minute later, Gibbs headed the ball dangerously but Crainey managed to get back and clear the ball on the goal line. However, the Gunners did not have to regret for long. In the 82nd minute, Mertesacker joined the attack and headed close to the goal to equalize 1-1 for Arsenal.

The score of 1-1 remained after 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time. The match had to be decided by a penalty shootout. On the 11m mark, Arsenal won 4-2, thereby earning a ticket to the final. Wenger's team continued to hope to end their title drought after 8 years without a trophy.

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