Hull City FA Cup final talking points: Fryatt outplayed Podolski, the corner that never was, the passion of Curtis Davies
KEPT ON RUNNING: Matty Fryatt.
Comments (12)
Brad Rial picks out his key talking points from the FA Cup final between Hull Cityand Arsenal. Curtis Davies pushed his body to the limit; the corner that led to the Gunners' second goal should never have been given, and special praise must go to Matty Fryatt.
As the Hull City fans poured out of Wembley yesterday, the one word on everyone’s lips was "proud".
Proud of the players, for shedding blood, sweat and tears for the cause. Proud of their manager, for leading the club to unheralded heights in such a refreshing and honest fashion. And proud of their fellow supporters, for the magnificent backing they gave the side from minute one to 120.
The fourteen players who took to the field wearing the black and amber of Hull City yesterday will forever hold a place in the hearts of fans. The 2014 FA Cup final will live long in the memory.
City fans had been asked to "Dare to Dream", but after 15 minutes, they were not dreaming but genuinely believing. It was a quite incredible start.
There is a temptation to say that yesterday was bittersweet, but that feels like too negative a description. The day had everything but the final result and I’m sure that, in years to come, thinking back to this final will bring only happy memories.
City were 2-1 up in a Wembley final with less than 20 minutes to go and they may never get a better chance to lift the FA Cup. Once the dust settles, supporters may look back on yesterday as a missed opportunity, but for a club that has often had to put up with having the words "little" and "old" placed before its name, to lose to the might of Arsenal after extra-time is far from a disgrace.
In years to come, this final will be remembered as much for City’s fight as it will be for the end of Arsenal’s trophy drought.
Davies, Chester and Bruce were immense
The opening twelve minutes or so must go down as the most frenetic in cup final history. And, from a City point of view at least, it was all about the three centre-backs.
James Chester was ruled out of the game just two weeks ago but he now joins that special group of people who have scored in a Wembley cup final. And what a lovely goal it was, too. He used the pace of the ball to neatly flick it home and it led to pandemonium in the City end.
After the pandemonium came sheer delirium when Curtis Davies doubled City’s lead just five minutes later.
If there has been a more passionate celebration than Davies’ this season then I’d love to see it. The pure emotion etched on his face was a sight to behold. Who says the FA Cup doesn’t matter anymore?
It wasn’t just the captain’s goal that had the City faithful singing his name; his overall performance was outstanding, as it has been so often this season.
And he pushed his body to the very limit right up until the final whistle. The fact that in the 120th minute he was still sprinting towards Lukasz Fabianski to try to close him down speaks volumes of the player and the man.
In all of the excitement, it’s easy to forget City were so close to going 3-0 up after just 12 minutes. That’s right: Hull City 3-0 up against Arsenal in an FA Cup final. Now that would have been something.
And in Alex Bruce, we would have had the most unlikely of scorers. It would have been some time to get his first goal for the club.
Bruce was otherwise superb and put in his usual committed, full-blooded display. What Bruce lacks in subtlety, he more than makes up for in utter determination.
Should Arsenal’s second goal have stood?
The corner that led to Arsenal’s equaliser simply shouldn’t have been given. It clearly came off of Yaya Sanogo’s leg.
The reaction of the players said it all: Allan McGregor was positively fuming and let referee Lee Probert know exactly what he thought of his decision.
If a goal kick had been awarded then it may just have been Hull City’s and not Arsenal’s name engraved on that trophy.
Super Matty Fryatt
Special praise must go to Matty Fryatt for what was a gargantuan effort.
In what could feasibly be his final game in a Tigers shirt, he as much as anyone could walk off that pitch with his head held high.
Before the game, Arsenal’s Lukas Podolski was asked about Fryatt and whether he thought he’d pose a threat to the Gunners’ defence. His response – “Who?” accompanied by a smile – smacked of arrogance and left City fans hoping our Matty could make the German eat his words. And while he may not have grabbed a goal, Fryatt made a more lasting impression than the completely anonymous Podolski.
Some City fans see Fryatt as a goal poacher and not much more. But yesterday, it was his hold-up play and work rate that was so impressive. Making his first start since the quarter-final against Sunderland, he somehow managed to complete the full 120 minutes and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side.
I sincerely hope Fryatt sticks around for next season. City are going to need a big squad to cope with the demands of the Europa League and surely it would make more sense to offer Fryatt a new deal than to spend a couple of million pounds on a striker of similar ability.
Class of 2014
Every single City player deserves an immense amount of credit for the way in which they represented the club yesterday.
In goal, Allan McGregor pulled off a couple of brilliant saves to keep Arsenal at bay. There was nothing he could do about either goal.
The wing-backs, Liam Rosenior and Ahmed Elmohamady, offered their usual endless running and put in typically selfless displays.
The midfield three of Tom Huddlestone, Jake Livermore and David Meyler did superbly to stifle the threat of Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil, who was particularly disappointing.
Huddlestone was completely distraught after the game (again, try telling him that the FA Cup doesn’t matter). His former Spurs teammate Livermore will surely be Steve Bruce’s number one target this summer.
Stephen Quinn shone on the big stage and it was his lovely ball that led to Davies’ goal. He let nobody down.
The substitutes played their part as well. Sone Aluko looked especially lively and he was mightily close to making it 3-3 in extra time. On first viewing it looked as if he could have perhaps dribbled with the ball before shooting. But in the heat of the moment that is easier said than done and he did well to create the chance.
Final mentions to the other two men thrown on by Steve Bruce, George Boyd and Paul McShane, who have both led unique personal paths to the FA Cup final. It’s worth remembering that Boyd was playing in the Conference as recently as 2007.
Although the class of 2014 ultimately left Wembley without the cup, they triumphed in every other way. Well done, boys. You did the club proud.
Google+ Please feel free to comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment