Arsenal endured a difficult season which saw the club fall out of the top four for the first time under Arsene Wenger’s reign, however not all was lost as the Gunners won the FA Cup for a record-breaking 12th time in a season packed full of highs and lows.
Here are my top five moments from the season.
- Alexis Sanchez panenka penalty vs Burnley
Arsenal had to patient against a resilient Burnley side as Skhodran Mustafi opened the scoring with his first goal for the club, but the Gunners hit a setback when Granit Xhaka was shown a red card in the 65th minute.
To the dismay of a furious Arsene Wenger, Burnley were awarded a penalty in the 92nd minute as Ashley Barnes went down under Francis Coquelin’s challenge and Andre Gray levelled the score from the spot.
But the drama was not over as Ben Mee’s high boot caught Laurent Koscielny in the face which led to referee Jon Moss awarding Arsenal a 97th minute penalty. With the title race at stake, Arsenal’s man of the season Alexis Sanchez stepped up and dispatched the spot-kick with an audacious chip straight down the middle to seal the victory in a theatrical game.
- Alexis Sanchez hat-trick vs West Ham.
Arsenal’s first ever visit to the London Stadium ended in a 5-1 battering of the Hammers, courtesy of an Alexis Sanchez masterclass, which was a common theme throughout the season.
The Chilean forward alluded two West Ham defenders before dispatching the ball in to the bottom left-corner from a tight angle to score his first and then further extended Arsenal’s lead finding the same corner again as he hit the ball on the half-volley to beat Darren Randolph.
The 15 minute hat-trick was then completed with a stroke of genius as Alexis sat the goalkeeper down with a fake shot and then dinked the ball in to consolidate the comprehensive victory.
- Olivier Giroud scorpion kick vs Crystal Palace
A magnificent goal which will go down as one of the best in Premier League history, and was wrongly overlooked for the Premier League goal of the season in my opinion.
Lucas Perez intercepted a stray Palace pass, as Arsenal embarked on a flowing counter-attack which was brilliantly worked as Giroud flicked the ball to Iwobi with the back of his heel. Alexis Sanchez then delivered a cross to the Frenchman, which he exquisitely finished with a delicate scorpion kick which hit the underside of the crossbar before settling in the back of the net. It is a goal that will truly be remembered for decades and encapsulated Arsenal’s ability to play beautiful football.
- Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea
Early in the season, hopes were high of an Arsenal title challenge as Arsenal blew Chelsea away with a decimating first-half display having not previously beaten their London rivals at home since 2010.
Alexis Sanchez broke the deadlock with a delicate dink over Thibaut Courtois before Theo Walcott doubled the lead, finishing off an intricate passing move.
The game was all but won when Mesut Ozil directed a devastating counter attack and volleyed the ball in off the post after meeting Sanchez’ cross which epitomised a stunning Arsenal performance.
- FA Cup Final win vs Chelsea
Going in to the final, Arsenal had been written off by many as champions Chelsea looked to complete an historic double in Antonio Conte’s debut season in the Premier League. A suspension to Laurent Koscielny and an unfortunate injury on the final day of the Premier League season to Gabriel Paulista left Arsenal with a makeshift defence.
The Chelsea attack, which had been in prolific form all season must have been relishing the chance to face an Arsenal defence with the inclusion of the largely inexperienced Rob Holding and Per Mertesacker who had only played 30 minutes of football all season.
However, Arsenal took the initiative with one of the most bizarre FA Cup final goals as Alexis Sanchez’ initially thought his goal had been ruled out for offside, however after conferring with his linesman, referee Anthony Taylor awarded the goal to give Arsenal the lead after just five minutes after declaring that Aaron Ramsey had not interfered with play.
The Gunners were rampant in the opening half an hour and could have extended their lead if it was not for Gary Cahill’s goal line clearance of Mesut Ozil’s shot. Danny Welbeck’s header then agonisingly struck the post and Ramsey was unable to divert the rebound in to the back of the net.
Anthony Taylor then made another pivotal decision as he dismissed Victor Moses with a second yellow card for simulation. Diego Costa then managed to equalise for ten-man Chelsea as his shot was powerful enough to beat David Ospina who could only palm the ball in to the bottom corner. However, less than a minute after kick-off, the Gunners were back in front as Ramsey burst in to the box to meet Olivier Giroud’s cross and headed Arsenal back in front.
Arsenal maintained the lead and were victorious against all odds after outstanding performances from the whole team, in particular captain Per Mertesacker, Rob Holding and Nacho Monreal who held firm at the back all game.
Ramsey’s goal proved to be the winner, as the Welshman scored an FA Cup final winning goal for the second time in his Arsenal career to deliver an historic 12th FA Cup for the club and a seventh FA Cup triumph for long-serving manager Arsene Wenger.
andypreston 