Per Mertesacker’s last Arsenal start may have been 13 months ago, but there was no sign of any rust as he delivered an outstanding performance in the Emirates FA Cup final.
The club captain made a number of important interventions as we beat Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley Stadium, and afterwards Arsene Wenger praised the World Cup winner.
- The boss on what we did to win the final
- The Emirates FA Cup final: As it happened
- Read the match report
- Watch the players react to winning the trophy
“Per Mertesacker is, for me, a fantastic example for any young professional footballer,” the Arsenal manager said.
“What he did today is just a consequence of an unbelievable attitude, even though he was not selected until the Everton game.
“He played his first game and when he was not selected, he worked even harder. That’s why I would pay a special tribute to him tonight.”
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