Per Mertesacker praises Arsenal for FA Cup triumph

Arsenal centre-back Per Mertesacker has hailed his side for their performance in the FA Cup final after they beat Aston Villa at Wembley.

The Gunners dominated the match and won 4-0 thanks to goals from Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud.

Arsenal also won the trophy last season, but they struggled to overcome Hull City and Mertesacker believes that they coped much better today.

He told BBC Sport: "We deserved this today. We played on the front foot from the start and that makes a massive difference. Last year we suffered in the first half but today we scored regularly and gave we what we needed.

"It is a good way to finish off the season and I can look forward to my first holiday since retiring from international football. Hopefully we will start next season on the front foot but first we celebrate this victory."

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has now won the trophy on six occasions.