****ne Wenger: FA Cup victory the sweetest of my career

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By Glenn Lavery
Wembley Stadium connected by EE
17 May 2014

****ne Wenger said ****nal’s FA Cup triumph over Hull City is the sweetest trophy of his career.

The Gunners came from two goals down to beat Steve Bruce’s side 3-2 after extra-time in this year’s Final, the winning goal coming from Aaron Ramsey in the 109th minute.

The Welsh midfielder’s strike ended the north London club’s nine-year wait for a piece of silverware.

And Wenger said of his fifth Cup success: “It was more important than all the others, because even though we won the Double [in 1998 and 2002] we were not under the pressure we were under today.

“We were under severe pressure to win and we didn’t start well. Hull started strong and we were hesitant.

“It’s a big moment of happiness. We waited for a long time for that. The happiness and suffering is linked to the time you’ve had to wait. It was a great moment at the end of the game.”

Wenger’s charges went 2-0 down after eight minutes as strikes from James Chester and captain Curtis Davies had Hull fans dreaming of a first-ever FA Cup win.

But Santi Cazorla halved the deficit with a sublime 17th-minute free-kick, Laurent Koscielny prodded home from close range in the second half and Ramsey completed the comeback in the extra 30 minutes.

And the Frenchman lauded his side’s character for staging such a rousing reply.

He added: “I was shocked [by the start]. They looked dangerous on every set piece but this team has a special spirit and a special togetherness.

“We responded well. We made a demonstration how to respond to being 2-0 down and a demonstration of how not to start The Cup Final.”

“It was important to get back to 2-1 before half-time.

“The mental aspect is very important in a game like that, when everybody expects you to win. If you are 2-0 down you are under pressure, especially when everyone thinks you should win the game before it starts.

“In England, The Cup is special. We saw it last year and we saw it again this year.

“It was an important moment in the life of this team. To lose today would have been a major setback.

“To win will be a good platform to build on and come back even stronger next year.”