Scratchy Arsenal overcome Wigan to enter FA Cup final

English Premier League side beat Wigan on penalties at Wembley in London.

Per Mertesacker, the Arsenal defender, scored the equaliser in the FA Cup semi-final against Wigan Athletic on Saturday. Mike Hewitt / Getty Images

Wigan Athletic 1

Jordi Gómez 63’ (pen)

Arsenal 1

Mertesacker 82’

Arsenal win 4-2 on penalties

Man of the match Stephen Crainey

LONDON // In the penalties, at least, Arsenal were commanding, scoring all four of their kicks as Gary Caldwell and Jack Collison had theirs saved by Lukasz Fabianski, but before that this was another tentative performance from Arsene Wenger’s side.

They are in their first FA Cup final since 2005 and a step nearer ending that nine-year trophy drought, but this was a display that raised at least as many doubts as it settled nerves.

Arsenal were dreadfully flat, forced by a combination of Wigan’s diligence and their own lassitude into far too many horizontal passes. There was no spark, no energy, no imagination, the whole team seemingly suffering a collective sense of weariness.

For an hour the Championship side held their opponents at arm’s length without offering much in the attacking threat themselves, but then Callum McManaman, having outmuscled Nacho Monreal, cut in from the right. As he ran along the top of the box, Per Mertesacker lunged into a needless challenge and conceded a penalty that owed as much to Arsenal’s mental disarray as anything else.

There was a delay of almost four minutes as Monreal received treatment and was then substituted, but Jordi Gomez retained his composure and slammed a firm penalty in to Fabianski’s right corner.

Only with 10 minutes remaining did Arsenal wake up. First Bacary Sagna headed against the post, then, after Scott Carson had taken pace off the ball, Stephen Crainey hooked the ball as Kieran Gibbs headed goalwards. Sanogo had set up that chance with a neat flick and he was instrumental in the equaliser, laying back a corner to Gibbs. He mis-hit his shot but Mertesacker adjusted well at the back post to guide the ball in.

How to judge Sanogo? Praise him for being in the right place at times, for having pace and a little muscle? Or condemn him for his wastefulness in front of goal? He is a strange mix: glimmers of ability simmering beneath a fundamental awkwardness. Even the kindest of observers would have to note he is raw and, frankly, it remains bizarre that a player so lacking in finesse should be the first reserve at a club of Arsenal’s stature.

His header from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cross after five minutes did, in fairness, draw a smart low save from Scott Carson, but when Lukas Podolski’s ball over the top set him through three minutes before half-time, his touch was dreadfully heavy. His pace allowed him to get to the ball first, but Carson was out quickly enough to block his attempt to lift the ball over him.

Yet he was instrumental in the Arsenal equaliser.

Two incidents in the seventh minute of extra time summed him up: his first turn and shot was excellent and drew a fine tip over from Carson, his second was hopeless and ended in a limp skew over the bar.

When Podolski, rather than Sanogo, was withdrawn for Olivier Giroud midway through the second half, there was a chorus of boos from the Arsenal fans, yet he, too, is a player who doesn’t seem to fit. He, too, is quick and very good at running in straight lines, and his crossing at times can be dangerous, but there is little invention or capacity for improvisation there.

That might be forgivable – even the best teams often contain a functional workhorse – but he does little defending either and is one of the reasons Monreal’s confidence has so disintegrated this season.

With Wigan looking shattered, Arsenal controlled extra-time, but again the cutting edge was lacking. Oxlade-Chamberlain thumped a shot against the bar, but their failure to finish off exhausted opponents from the division below is deeply worrying.

The celebrations, both of Mertesacker’s equaliser and after the shoot-out suggested just what a relief this was, just how nervous they had been.

Arsenal will, at least, next month have a game to win a trophy that might redeem what has been a miserable end to the season for them, but the long-term issues remain.

Whatever happens at Wembley, there is need of a major rethink, both of personnel and approach, and the longer his contract remains unsigned the more the possibility grows that the FA Cup final could be Wenger’s swansong.

Jonathan Wilson’s report card

Man of the match (Stephen Crainey) – The 32 year old was a beacon of calm at the heart of the Wigan defence, commanding on the ground and in the air.

Arsenal 5/10 – Got the job done in the end, but this was a lacklustre performance bereft of wit or brio.

Wigan 6/10 – Tired badly late on, but for 70 minutes they were excellent, tactically disciplined and worthy of their lead.

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