Arsenal miss out on Champions League and JT is OTT as Gunners and Blues gear up for Wembley on Saturday

Yesterday the two FA Cup finalists played their final league games of 2016-17 and now there is just one football match to be played in England to this season, namely the FA Cup final at Wembley next Saturday. The Gunners and the Blues both won but the two results have had very different consequences.

In north London Arsenal won 3-1 against an Everton side that were already on the beach. The Gunners won despite having to play for 76 minutes with 10 men. Their captain Laurent Koscielny was sent off early in the first half for a reckless mistimed tackle on Everton’s Valencia

A red card and a red face! Koscielny is sent off and will miss the FA Cup Final

Koscielny’s dismissal has serious consequences as he will now be banned for the FA Cup final. One of his defensive team-mates is also likely to miss the Wembley showdown as Brazilian Gabriel was carried off on a stretcher in the second period. Facing Costa and Co with two key defenders missing is a worry for Wenger. The match featured some good goals from the Gunners with Sanchez again on target and Welshman Aaron Ramsey completing the scoring in stoppage time with a picture goal. The result however was not enough as Arsenal missed out on a coveted top four place by a single agonising league point. Arsenal needed to win and for Liverpool to drop points if the Gunners were to sneak into the Champions League qualifying spots. The Liverpool match against Middlesbrough was the live game on Sky TV and I was watching a very nervous Liverpool team looking like they might slip up. Midway through the first half, with the score at 0-0, Boro’s Bamford got beyond the last defender Lovren and was pushed in the back as he was about to pull the trigger. He tumbled to the deck. A clear penalty, but not given. Had the ref made the correct decision, awarded the spot kick and sent off Lovren for being the ‘last man’ then the story of Arsenal’s league campaign may have been so different. As it transpired Liverpool went on to win and hence pipped Arsenal for fourth place by the narrowest of margins.

Bamford barged! Liverpool's Lovren lucky as ref decides no penalty or red card

As is their wont the football broadcast media went in to meltdown and many pundits have branded Arsenal as failures. A bit harsh when they have just finished fifth in the league and still have the FA Cup final to look forward to. As is now de rigueur Wenger bore the brunt of these outpourings. Since the draw for the quarter finals of the FA Cup was made in mid February and Arsenal became my team on the Road to Wembley from Scotland I have followed the ‘Wenger must go’ story with great interest and dismay. I just wish my beloved Hearts could unearth a manager who would be as ‘unsuccessful’ at Tynecastle as The Professor has been at The Emirates. With the foaming-at-the-mouth pontifications about the great man come a whole load of urban myths that are just untrue. Consider these: (i) Wenger is intransigent and will never change – untrue – he changed his back four to three at the back after 20 years for the last 8 games of this season and the Gunners won 7 of these games; (ii) Wenger won’t pay big money for players – untrue – he paid top dollar for Sanchez and Ozil who are two of the best players in the world; (iii) Since his early days at Arsenal when the Gunners were regularly champions Wenger never wins anything – untrue – he has won the FA Cup twice in the last three years and may well make that a hat trick later this week. You will have gathered that I have become a big fan of the Prof over the last three months.

Meanwhile across the capital in West London it was party time at Stamford Bridge. It was the last appearance at the Bridge for the Chelsea icon John Terry. Terry has been with Chelsea for 22 years and during his entire career he has always worn the squad number 26. So yesterday, in an orchestrated move that JT himself decided would take place, he was substituted in the 26^th minute. When opponents Sunderland kicked the ball out of play in the 26^th minute the board went up and he left the field flanked by a guard of honour. All a bit tacky and it was OTT JT. There was a premier league match going on for fucks sake!

Hard to believe this pic was taken during the game. JT is a bit of a John Thomas

Having already won the Premier league Chelsea played with carefree abandon and won handsomely by 5 goals to one. They now look forward to Saturday at Wembley with great optimism and the chance of doing the double.

Just one blog post to go (on Wednesday) before I head south for Wembley and the final destination on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. On Wednesday read how the teams I met in the later rounds of the cup finished the season … and keep reading!