West Ham hammered Arsenal 5-1 in the final of the FA Youth Cup at the Emirates Stadium to spark a chant of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” for Jack Wilshere.
The young Gunners started brightly and took the lead when Omari Benjamin fired home a rebound early on. But West Ham responded with two quickfire goals from George Earthy and Callum Marshall and went into the break 3-1 up after Gideon Kodua seized on a mistake from Josh Robinson to chip goalkeeper Noah Cooper.
Arsenal improved after the break but couldn’t find a way back into the match and were punished late on. Kaelan Casey and Josh Briggs both scored from corners to add gloss to the scoreline and earn West Ham’s first FA Youth Cup since 1999.
The result led to jubilant scenes in the packed away end as 7,000 West Ham fans - and first-team captain Declan Rice - rejoiced at the win for Kevin Keen’s impressive side. They also aimed a barb at Arsenal Under-18s coach Wilshere, who gathered his players and coaching staff on the pitch for a post-match huddle.
Wilshere was part of the last Arsenal team to win the prestigious trophy in 2009 but could not oversee a win in north London on Tuesday night. His side reached the final thanks to a last-gasp winner against 10-man Manchester City in the semi-final, but they were no match for Keen’s well-drilled unit.
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West Ham had thrashed Southampton 6-1 in the semi-final and secured the Under-18s Premier League South title by beating Arsenal 2-0 on April 15. They were well led by captain Kodua, who crossed for Marshall’s goal before producing the best goal of the night with an opportunistic chip over Cooper.
The Hammers were ruthlessly efficient, scoring with all three of their shots on target in the first half, while they also had goalkeeper Mason Terry to thank. He made a great diving save from Michal Rosiak’s curling free-kick after five minutes and stood tall to deny the same player in the second half.
Ethan Nwaneri scuffed a presentable chance wide from a corner while Amario Cozier-Duberry hit the side-netting after being set up by Robinson’s surging run from defence.
Despite the West Ham fans’ chant, Wilshere is very unlikely to be getting sacked in the morning. The 31-year-old former midfielder was hired in the summer by head of Arsenal’s academy Per Mertesacker following his retirement. The German has been surprised by Wilshere’s drive to become a manager.
“I was probably thinking the same, he will not make that transition, but he proved me wrong in that sense,” Mertesacker told The Guardian this week. “I had a perception about him, playing and being super-talented but probably not fulfilling his potential because of all the injuries.”
