Although the scoreline at Wembley at the end of the 95 minute encounter showed four goals in favour of Arsenal,and nothing for hapless Villa, the scoreline ought to have been more if Walcott, scorer of the first goal had not fluffed away several chances.
Arsène Wenger’s side – resplendent in yellow – were in total control from the off. So edgy on their recent visits to the national stadium, this time they were the picture of calm.
The first half was a blur of yellow movement, with Laurent Koscielny, Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott all going close, but they finally broke the deadlock five minutes before the interval.
Walcott was the hero, latching on to a cushioned Alexis header to slam the ball in at the near post before spinning away to celebrate with the ecstatic Arsenal fans.
Better was to come after the break, with Alexis scoring the sort of 25-yard screamer that would surely have had Charlie George – the hero of 1971 – nodding in appreciation.
Per Mertesacker headed in a third from a corner as the Gunners continued their assault and Olivier Giroud added a fourth in injury time to add even more gloss to the scoreline.
The final whistle brought scenes of undisguised joy as Wenger joined George Ramsey on a record six FA Cups, while the Gunners’ emphatic victory put them out on their own on a record 12 triumphs.
Source: arsenalfc.com