Reading 1-2 Arsenal : Three Things We Learned From The FA Cup Semi-Final

Alexis Sanchez’s brace was enough to send Arsenal through to their second-successive FA Cup final in a thrilling 2-1 extra-time win over Championship side Reading. The Gunners were sluggish at the start and were lucky to go into the break with a lead courtesy of a sublime pass from Mesut Ozil, which was finished off expertly by Sanchez. Reading, however, didn’t sit back and Garath McCleary made 1-1 just before the hour mark and the Royals were right back into the game.

The Gunners, however, pushed on from then and hit the post not once, but twice before the end of normal time. First it was Gabriel, whose header was saved onto the post by Adam Federici, then it was Aaron Ramsey. There was still time for Reading to miss a glorious opportunity to win the game before Federici’s blunder in extra-time cost the Royals the game. Instead it will be the Gunners who will take on either Aston Villa or Liverpool in their bid to secure a record 12th FA Cup.

Here are the major talking points from the game.

A game littered with mistakes

Much of the headlines will be dedicated towards goalkeeper Adam Federici, who gifted the Gunners a goal in extra-time as he let a straightforward shot from Sanchez go through him. But the truth is that, he wasn’t the only one, who made a mistake in the semi-final on Saturday. In fact, the Royals shot-stopper had been brilliant until his mistake and was one of the reasons why the match went into extra-time. Somewhat surprisingly, the first costly error of the game, came from his opposite number, Wojciech Szczesny, who should have done better with the McCleary shot that levelled the scores.

Then it was two Arsenal players, who failed to take their chances. First it was Gabriel, who missed an absolute sitter from a few yards out after previously hitting the post from another Mesut Ozil set-piece. In the dying minutes of normal time, it was Ramsey’s turn to mess up an easy opportunity after being sent clear by Olivier Giroud. First, he hit the keeper, then hit the post, when it looked easier to score on both occasions. There was still time for Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak to fluff his lines in a two-on-one before the full-time whistle. But, unfortunately for the Royals, all of those earlier mistakes pales into insignificance because it was the Australian keeper’s error which cost them a shot at their first FA Cup final.

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Sanchez and Ozil shine

If there is one criticism that is often levelled at Ozil, it is that he goes missing in the big games. But the German play-maker’s performance against Reading in a thrilling semi-final win, showed just why Arsene Wenger has so much faith in him. Although he doesn’t have the pace that Sanchez or Welbeck have, the German’s ability to simply step back and find pockets of space in the attacking third has been a key part of his improved performances over the past few weeks.

Against Reading, whose high defensive line, created plenty of problems for themselves, it was his ability to pick the right pass, that proved to be the difference. His sublime through ball to Sanchez for the opening goal, was a reminder that he isn’t merely good on the break, but can pick a pass amidst a packed defense as well. The longer the game went on, the more it looked as though his vision was going to prove to be the difference. And although it was just a simple pass and a blunder from Federici that led to the winning goal, it was still two more assists to the German on a day in which his skill-set was put to perfect use.

Reading can take heart from their performance

If beating Arsenal was a tough task on its own, their recent record, which has seen them fail to win in their last five league games, made that even harder. So, it was certainly not surprising to see many go for a comfortable win for the Gunners over a side that was just two places above the drop zone in the Championship. Steve Clarke spoke of needing to play the “perfect” game if they are to reach the final.

Although the Royals started cautiously, they deserve plenty of plaudits for the way in which they took the game to Arsenal once they conceded. While it would have been easier to sit back and merely enjoy the occasion, Clarke’s side were proactive after the break and were rewarded with a goal soon after. Their two main threats going forward, Hal Robson-Kanu and Garath McCleary were both given a license to roam further upfield and that resulted in McCleary’s equalizer. Even though they lost the game and their season has fallen apart in the league, they can take plenty of pride from the way in which they didn’t let the Gunners simply walk away with an easy win.