The burden dropped
off Arsene Wenger's shoulders piece by piece as Arsenal's manager stood
stripped of his tie and soaked from head to toe in champagne in front
of their celebrating fans.
Wenger was no longer the manager described brutally - not to mention disrespectfully and incorrectly - as
"a specialist in failure"
by Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho.
He would no longer face the inquisition about Arsenal's
nine years without a trophy, a barren spell that had been shrouded in
the even more painful specifics of 3,283 days without success before
this dramatic, and ultimately well deserved, FA Cup final win over
gallant Hull City.
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Scoring winner is mind-blowing - Ramsey
And he would no longer be surrounded by the suspicion
that the golden touch he brought to Arsenal in the early years after his
1996 arrival had been lost forever after that
win on penalties in this competition against Manchester United in 2005.
Wenger was a winner again. Arsenal were winners again
after 120 dramatic minutes that forced manager, players and fans through
so many of the experiences they have shared in recent years - only this
time with a happy ending.
There was the despair and panic of the opening eight
minutes when James Chester and Curtis Davies put Steve Bruce's underdogs
two goals up, then the hope provided by Santi Cazorla's free-kick
before half-time.
There was the tension that left Arsenal's followers
knee-deep in chewed fingernails before Laurent Koscielny smuggled home
the equaliser with 19 minutes left.
And there was the pain and anguish of chances missed
and woodwork struck before Aaron Ramsey, fittingly as Arsenal's best
player, wrote the chapter in extra-time for which Gunners fans had
waited almost a decade.
Up for the Cup
- Arsenal have now won the FA Cup 11 times, equalling the record held by Manchester United
- Santi Cazorla's goal was his first in 20 games
- The five goals scored were the most in an FA Cup final since the new Wembley opened in 2007
It was a moment of such sweet release for Wenger that
this most urbane, neat and tidy of men was happy to allow himself to be
subjected to the indignity of being chased around Wembley by men
wielding bottles of bubbly before getting the celebratory 'bumps'.
Wenger made no attempt to disguise the importance of this day.
He and his team had arrived at the point where only a
win would do. Anything else would have been a catastrophe for a manager
who, even though he had delivered assurances
he would sign a new contract,
would surely have been taken to the darkest place in his time at Arsenal by defeat.
Wearing his Arsenal tracksuit top to replace that
soaked suit, Wenger admitted the win was "an important moment in the
life of this team".
It was a moment of equal significance in his life as a
manager because, despite the willingness of Arsenal's board to offer
Wenger a new deal and his willingness to sign it, it
may just have been one loss too far
after that long spell.
Instead, Arsenal and Wenger's season can now be deemed a success.
Champions League football is assured
for the 17th successive season - and this can now be backed up by
the FA Cup, tangible reward finally being delivered in the trophy room
at the Emirates.
Wenger believes victory in such circumstances can be
the platform for the future. And that is exactly what it is: a platform.
Few will begrudge the Frenchman his moment after
watching his agonies over recent years, the days when promise has not
been turned into end product, when optimism has suddenly crumbled around
a highly respected and popular figure.
This was his reward, eventually after that harrowing opening spell when he must surely have feared the worst once more.
Wenger has every right to celebrate this success but he
must not - and surely will not - believe that this means Arsenal do not
still require serious investment.
They showed guts, character and resilience, qualities
have often come under scrutiny in the last nine years, but still lack a
true leader on the pitch, while there was an obvious lack of pace
without the injured Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The requirement for attacking reinforcements was made
obvious by Olivier Giroud's lacklustre display, although he redeemed
himself with a fine piece of imagination to set up Ramsey's winner with a
clever backheel.
