Arsène Wenger hailed Theo Walcott and Alexis Sánchez as his FA Cup match winners and promised the latter a four-week holiday when he returns from the Copa América.
Walcott scored the first goal and Sánchez added a stunning second as Wenger became the first modern manager to win the Cup six times, taking Arsenal to a record 12th success in the process. “I had some difficult decisions to make over selection but Theo was on a high after scoring a hat-trick last weekend,” the Arsenal manager said. “Villa play a high line so I thought the pace of Walcott and Sánchez could cause them problems.
“We have played 56 games this season so everyone needs a rest and Sánchez going to the Copa América is not ideal. It only ends in July so when he returns from that we will let him have four weeks off.”
Wenger described Arsenal’s 4-0 victory over an insipid Aston Villa as “convincing” and said he felt the team kept its focus throughout the game. “If we can take that into next season we have a good platform on which to build,” he said. “It is about consistency at the top level and we are showing signs. There is good confidence in the team now as well as quality and that is what leads to consistency.
“Apart from drinks for the players I am not in a buying mood tonight but we now have a good basis and time to prepare properly for next season because we finished third. What we need to do now is show we can be intelligent during the summer.”
Walcott, preferred to Olivier Giroud in the starting XI, said Arsenal ought to be achieving much more. “I’ve been here a long time and this is one of the best squads we’ve had,” the goalscorer said. “The Premier League is our next big target. I have to thank the manager for picking me and I hope I repaid him. I missed all this last year. I was injured and at home. To be part of it all at last is a dream.”
A disappointed Tim Sherwood was in no mood to quibble with the result and neither was he interested in arguing over the two penalties Villa were denied in the second half. “It would be wrong of me to go on about that, we were outplayed today by a far better team,” the Villa manager said. “Arsenal deserved to win. They have outstanding, world-class players and we couldn’t impose ourselves on them to nullify their threat. This team has escaped relegation for the past four seasons and that is a sign that improvement is necessary. We need a change of mentality most of all. The group is quite used to losing and we need that to change because it is not a good habit.”