 The match was played at Wembley Stadium. | |||||||
| Event | 2014–15 FA Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 30 May 2015 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Santi Cazorla (Arsenal) | ||||||
| Referee | Jon Moss (West Yorkshire) | ||||||
| Attendance | 89,283 | ||||||
| Weather | Scattered clouds 16 °C (61 °F) | ||||||
←2014 2016 → | |||||||
The2015 FA Cup final was anassociation football match played betweenArsenal andAston Villa atWembley Stadium, London, on 30 May 2015. Organised bythe Football Association (FA), it was the134th final of theFootball Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup), the world's oldest football cup competition. En route to the final, Arsenal defeatedHull City,Brighton & Hove Albion,Middlesbrough,Manchester United andReading (afterextra time). Aston Villa secured victories overBlackpool,Bournemouth,Leicester City,West Bromwich Albion andLiverpool in the rounds before the final.
Theo Walcott gave Arsenal the lead in the 40th minute.Nacho Monrealcrossed from the left side of the pitch toAlexis Sánchez whoseheader found Walcott who struck the ball on thevolley into the goal. Ten minutes later, Alexis Sánchez struck the ball from around 30 yards (27 m) into the roof of the Aston Villa net to double his side's lead beforePer Mertesacker made it 3–0 with a header midway through the second half. Three minutes intostoppage time,Olivier Giroud scored from close range to give Arsenal a 4–0 victory. It was the sixth FA Cup win for managerArsène Wenger, putting him in joint first place for wins withGeorge Ramsay.
Arsenal had already qualified for theChampions League by finishing third in thePremier League, and following a change inUEFA rules, the remainingEuropa League place went toSouthampton, the highest-placed Premier League team that had not qualified for any European competition instead of Aston Villa. As FA Cup winners, Arsenal playedChelsea, winners of the Premier League, in the2015 FA Community Shield at Wembley.
TheFA Cup is an annualknockout tournament involving professional and amateur men'sfootball clubs in theEnglish football league system.[1] It is the world's oldest football cup competition.[2][3] The 2015 final was the134th final to be played since it was first held in 1872.[2]
Arsenal were playing a record nineteenth FA Cup final, surpassingManchester United. Of these, they had won eleven, a joint record with Manchester United, most recently the previous season's final againstHull City. Their most recent defeat in the final wasin 2001, losing 2–1 toLiverpool.[4] It wasAston Villa's eleventh final, of which they had won seven, most recentlyin 1957 with a 2–1 win over Manchester United. Their most recent final was a 1–0 defeat toChelsea in 2000.[4]
Arsenal and Aston Villa played twice duringthe league season, both games resulting in Arsenal victories. On 20 September 2014, they won 3–0 atVilla Park with three goals in less than four minutes of the first half, fromMesut Özil,Danny Welbeck and anown goal fromAly Cissokho off a shot fromKieran Gibbs.[5] At their home ground, theEmirates Stadium, on 1 February 2015, Arsenal triumphed 5–0 with goals byOlivier Giroud, Özil,Theo Walcott, apenalty kick bySanti Cazorla after goalkeeperBrad Guzan had committed afoul onChuba Akpom, andHéctor Bellerín.[6]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Hull City (H) | 2–0 |
| 4th | Brighton & Hove Albion (A) | 3–2 |
| 5th | Middlesbrough (H) | 2–0 |
| 6th | Manchester United (A) | 2–1 |
| SF | Reading (N) | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) =Neutral venue. | ||
FA Cup holders Arsenal, as aPremier League club, entered the competition in the third round where they were drawn at home against fellow top-flight team Hull City in a repeat ofthe previous year's final. At the Emirates Stadium,Per Mertesacker scored in the 20th minute with aheader from anAlexis Sánchezcorner. With eight minutes remaining, Sánchez doubled Arsenal's lead with a strike from inside the Hullpenalty area and his side won the match 2–0.[7] In the fourth round, Arsenal's opposition wereChampionship teamBrighton & Hove Albion away at theFalmer Stadium. Arsenal's Walcott opened the scoring after less than two minutes from aCalum Chamberscross before Özil made it 2–0 midway through the first half.Chris O'Grady scored for Brighton five minutes after half-time butTomáš Rosický restored Arsenal's two-goal advantage nine minutes later with avolley after aone-two with Giroud.Sam Baldock's 75th-minute goal made it 3–2 but no further goals were scored and Arsenal progressed to the fifth round.[8] There, they were drawn at home againstMiddlesbrough, another Championship club, at the Emirates Stadium. Giroud scored twice in the space of three first-half minutes and, after a goalless second half, Arsenal secured their passage to the sixth round with a 2–0 victory.[9]
Arsenal were drawn away at Manchester United in a match televised onBBC One on a Monday evening. This led to criticism fromArsenal supporters as they suggested there would be no trains back to London after the match.[10] Despite this, 9,000 away supporters attended the game atOld Trafford.Nacho Monreal gave the visiting side the lead in the 25th minute from close range after receiving a pass fromAlex Oxlade-Chamberlain.Wayne Rooney equalised for Manchester United four minutes later, heading anÁngel Di María cross pastWojciech Szczęsny in the Arsenal goal. Former Manchester United player Welbeck then capitalised on a poor backpass byAntonio Valencia to take possession of the ball,dribbling it roundDavid de Gea and scoring to make it 2–1. Di María wassent off with 14 minutes of the game remaining and the match ended without further scoring.[11] In the semi-finals atWembley Stadium, aneutral venue, Arsenal faced Championship sideReading. Sánchez scored from close range in the 39th minute before Reading'sGarath McCleary equalised with a volley nine minutes into the second half. With the score level at the end of regular time, the match went intoextra time when Sánchez scored instoppage time of the first period to restore his side's lead. The second period of extra time was goalless ending the match 2–1, and Arsenal reached the FA Cup Final for the second consecutive year.[12]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Blackpool (H) | 1–0 |
| 4th | Bournemouth (H) | 2–1 |
| 5th | Leicester City (H) | 2–1 |
| 6th | West Bromwich Albion (H) | 2–0 |
| SF | Liverpool (N) | 2–1 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue; (N) =Neutral venue. | ||
Also a Premier League team, Aston Villa entered the tournament in the third round with a 1–0 home win over Championship clubBlackpool.Christian Benteke scored the only goal two minutes from the end of the game when he controlled a pass fromCarlos Sánchez before striking it past Blackpool goalkeeperJoe Lewis from around 18 yards (16 m).[13] In the fourth round, they faced another second-tier team at home,Bournemouth. After a goalless first half,Carles Gil opened the scoring for Aston Villa on his debut six minutes after half-time with a 25-yard (23 m) curling strike pastLee Camp. Twenty minutes later, the lead was doubled byAndreas Weimann who scored fromAlan Hutton's pass. Bournemouth substituteCallum Wilson scored in second-half stoppage time but Aston Villa won the match 2–1.[14] Two weeks after the fourth round, Aston Villa's managerPaul Lambert was dismissed with his side in therelegation positions in the Premier League.[15] He was replaced byTim Sherwood and in the fifth round, his side were drawn at home, this time against Premier League clubLeicester City. The first half ended 0–0 butLeandro Bacuna scored midway through the second half with a curling shot from outside the Leicester City penalty area.Scott Sinclair scored Aston Villa's second in the 89th minute after the ball was fumbled byMark Schwarzer, the Leicester City goalkeeper.Andrej Kramarić scored a consolation goal one minute into stoppage time but Aston Villa progressed with a 2–1 win.[16]
The sixth round draw saw Aston Villa drawn at home againstWest Midlands rivalsWest Bromwich Albion. After a goalless first half,Fabian Delph gave the home side the lead after receiving the ball fromCharles N'Zogbia and striking it low past West Bromwich Albion goalkeeperBoaz Myhill. With ten minutes to go, West Bromwich Albion'sClaudio Yacob was sent off after receiving a second yellow card and Sinclair doubled Aston Villa's lead five minutes later. SubstituteJack Grealish, who had been on the pitch less than 20 minutes, was sent off in second-half stoppage time for a second yellow card, but his side won 2–0. The victory prompted apitch invasion for which Aston Villa were charged byThe Football Association.[17][18][a] In the semi-final at Wembley Stadium, Aston Villa faced Liverpool.Philippe Coutinho gave Liverpool the lead in the 30th minute, shooting pastShay Given in the Aston Villa goal. Benteke scored the equaliser six minutes later, sidefooting the ball pastSimon Mignolet, the Liverpool goalkeeper. Delph then gave Aston Villa the lead 11 minutes into the second half to secure his side a 2–1 victory. Aston Villa reached the final for the first timesince 2000.[20]
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Children's television programmeBlue Peter ran a competition to design the mascot for the final. The winning entry was "Billie", a horse inspired by the one which controlled the crowds ahead ofthe 1923 final. Former England internationalPhil Neville, one of the judges in the competition, said that: "I think the design is great, the story behind it is even better and I think it’s something everyone’s going to be really impressed with.”[21] Religious television programmeSongs of Praise ran a competition to be part of a 64-person choir to sing the traditional hymn "Abide with Me" before the final. The 64 were fans of each of the clubs which reached the third round of the competition, including a 99-year-oldNewcastle United fan and a Liverpool fan who survived theHillsborough disaster. The music was performed by theBand of the Brigade of Gurkhas.[22]
Following the semi-finals, both clubs met at Wembley to discuss final arrangements. Arsenal were designated as the "home" team because they were first alphabetically. Despite this, Aston Villa won the pre-match coin toss for choice of strips and chose to wear their home claret and bluekit that they had worn for all of the previous rounds. Arsenal decided to wear their yellow and blue away strip instead of their dark blue cup kit.[23] The BBC devoted a whole day of programming to the final, reviving the tradition of its all-day coverage.[24] Both Aston Villa and Arsenal received a ticket allocation of 25,000 for the game with 17,000 being offered to members of Club Wembley, de facto season ticket holders at Wembley Stadium. Ticket prices ranged from £50, £70, £90 and £120.[25]
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Aston Villakicked off the final at around 5:30 p.m. on 30 May 2015 in front of a crowd of 89,283 spectators,[26] under scatter cloudy conditions and a temperature of around 16 °C (61 °F).[27] Two minutes into the match, Alexis Sánchez was fouled byAshley Westwood, and from the resulting free kick, Özil eventually headed the ball on to Walcott but he was deemed to be in anoffside position. Two minutes later, Delph's cross was caught by Arsenal goalkeeper Szczesny. In the eighth minute, Cazorla's low shot from inside the Aston Villa penalty area was defended by Hutton, and from the second of two subsequent corners, Koscielny headed wide of the goal. Benteke then fouled Cazorla but Özil's free kick was easily cleared byRon Vlaar. Richardson's 13th-minute cross was then punched clear by Szczesny to deny Benteke a chance to open the scoring. A minute later,Tom Cleverley became the first player to bebooked after he fouled Monreal. From the resulting free kick, Koscielny's header was saved by Given in the Aston Villa goal. In the 17th minute, Bellerin turned past Richardson and sent in a low cross toAaron Ramsey whose shot hit theside netting. Özil's 20th minute pass found Ramsey inside the penalty area but his shot was high over the Aston Villa crossbar.[28]
Midway through the first half, Özil crossed to Walcott who was 6 yards (5 m) out from the Aston Villa goal but he was denied by asliding tackle from Richardson. In the 28th minute,Francis Coquelin passed to Ramsey who ran into the Aston Villa penalty area but his shot took a deflection off Vlaar and was easily caught by Given.[28] Six minutes later, Hutton was shown the yellow card for a late tackle on Alexis Sánchez but Aston Villa eventually cleared the resulting free kick. In the 38th minute, Delph was booked for repeated fouls. With five minutes of the half remaining, Arsenal took the lead through Walcott. Monreal crossed from the left side of the pitch and found Alexis Sánchez; he headed back to Walcott who ran into the Aston Villa penalty area to strike the ball on the volley into the goal. After two minutes of stoppage time, the first half was brought to a close with the score at 1–0.[29]
Neither side made changes to their personnel during the half-time interval and Arsenal kicked off the second half, with Ramsey's early shot being easily saved by Given. In the 50th minute, Alexis Sánchez struck the ball from around 30 yards (27 m) into the roof of the Aston Villa net to double his side's lead. Two minutes later, Westwood was booked for a foul on Alexis Sánchez before Aston Villa made their first substitution of the match with N'Zogbia being replaced by Agbonlahor. Alexis Sánchez then headed the ball into the Aston Villa goal but it was disallowed by the referee for offside. Cazorla's 57th minute low shot was saved by Given before Mertesacker scored with a header from a Cazorla corner, making it 3–0 to Arsenal in the 62nd minute. Midway through the second half, Delph's free kick was easily gathered by Szczesny, before Bacuna came on to replace an injured Richardson and Carlos Sánchez was brought on for Westwood.[29]
In the 76th minute, Walcott's curling long-range shot was high and wide, before he was replaced by Giroud, and Wilshere came on for Özil. Agbonlahor was then brought down on the edge of the Arsenal area and claimed for a penalty but nothing was given by the referee. The Aston Villa player was then booked for his protests. Bellerin subsequently tackled Grealish in the Arsenal penalty area but once again, no foul was given. Grealish's subsequent 25-yard (23 m) shot was blocked before Oxlade-Chamberlain came on for Alexis Sánchez. In the third minute of second-half stoppage time, Oxlade-Chamberlain's pass found Giroud who flicked the ball into the Aston Villa goal to make it 4–0 to Arsenal, the final score. In winning their 12th FA Cup, they became the most successful team in the competition's history.[29]
| Arsenal | 4–0 | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
Walcott 40'Sánchez 50'Mertesacker 62'Giroud 90+3' | Report,positions, nationalities |
          Arsenal |      Aston Villa |
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Man of the match
Match officials
| Match rules
|
| Arsenal | Aston Villa | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 4 | 0 |
| Possession | 59% | 41% |
| Shots on target | 8 | 0 |
| Shots off target | 8 | 2 |
| Corner kicks | 8 | 0 |
| Fouls | 8 | 15 |
| Offsides | 5 | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 5 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
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This was the sixth FA Cup win for managerArsène Wenger, putting him in joint first place for wins withGeorge Ramsay.[33] Wenger said "We have shown today that we are a real team. I’d like to congratulate everyone, my players, my staff, the supporters" and described it as "the perfect day".[29][34] Mertesacker said "We deserved this today. We played on the front foot from the start and that makes a massive difference".[35] Sherwood conceded that Arsenal had deserved to win, saying "I can't make any excuses for that today, Arsenal were too good for us. We couldn't impose ourselves on them or nullify what they had."[35] His captain, Delph, agreed, noting "Arsenal showed why they deserved the win. We were up against it, we tried to dig deep but their quality shone through and we struggled."[35]
The game was broadcast live in the UK on free-to-air TV on BBC One and on pay TV onBT Sport. It was the first FA Cup Final broadcast by the BBC in seven years and they restored the tradition of having an all-day build-up for the final, linking up with other BBC programmes.[24] The game's viewership on BBC One peaked at 8.8 million with an average of 8 million.[36]
On Arsenal's victory parade after winning the final,Jack Wilshere led fans in a chant callinglocal rivalsTottenham Hotspur "shit".[37] Having previously been warned after a similar chant in the previous season's victory parade, The Football Association charged him with misconduct.[38] He admitted the charge, was fined £40,000 and was "severely warned as to his future conduct".[39]
Following a change inUEFA rules, this was the first season where runners-up in cup competitions did not enter theEuropa League if the winners had already qualified for Europe.[40][41] Therefore, as Arsenal had already qualified for theChampions League by finishing third in the Premier League, the remaining Europa League place went toSouthampton, the highest-placed Premier League team that had not qualified for any European competition.[42][43] As winners, Arsenal played Chelsea, winners of the Premier League, in the2015 FA Community Shield at Wembley.[44]
