Twenty years to the day that Arsenal’s history making Gunners beat Liverpool 2-0 to win the League on Mersyside, one of the victorious players from that evening, Steve Bould, returned to Anfield to make some more history of his own this evening.
Already boasting a 4-1 lead from the first leg, his Under 18’s sealed the Cup win with a cool effort from Sanchez Watt and a Daniel Ayala own goal which meant they became the first side to win both the League and Cup double for the first time since the Academy system was reformed despite a Lauri Dalla Valle strike.
Yet things could have been different – Liverpool kicked off and began well with an adventurous 4-3-3 which clearly showed the hosts had set out their stall to get goals. But it was Arsenal who had the first opportunity as Francis Coquelin won an early corner via the left leg of Daniel Ayala.
Lauri Dalla Valle then could have had the opener but James Shea turned behind the strikers prodded effort for a corner. A further two set pieces followed before Kyle Bartley’s intervention was needed to stop Thomas Ince from racing clear.
The travelling Gooners found their voice on the quarter of an hour mark with chants of ‘We won the League on Mersyside’ which clearly upset the home support. Arsenal were seeing the majority of the ball but couldn’t covert the possession into any real chances.
Shea was then called into action a further time to deny Ince before Gilles Sunu took advantage of slack defending to lash a fizzing volley which was well saved by Dean Bouzanis.
The magic atmosphere of 20 years ago was once more in the air as Sanchez Watt produced a bull dozing run reminiscent to that of Michael Thomas to carve up the Liverpool back line and slide home the 5th goal.
Ayala was then booked for a late tackle on Henri Lansbury in a frustration fulled challenge. Wilshere then turned on the style with several delightful touches but the talented number 10 couldn’t find the vital second.
The half time break came and went with a change of momentum from Liverpool. Nathan Eccleston came on and seemed to revitalise the Reds who pulled one back through the super impressive Dalla Valle who side footed home from the edge of the box.
David Amoo launched a pile driver at Shea minutes after as the tempo rose in the stadium as the home supporters began to believe a come back was possible. However, any hope was dashed with 20 minutes remaining as Ayala turned home Watt’s drilled cross for an unfortunate but decisive second of the night.
The chants may had changed but the end of which it was coming from did not. ‘You Watt, You Watt, You Watt!’ was being lauded around Anfield at a rate of decibels. Subs were then the order of the night after Rhys Murphy replaced Gilles Sunu, a double change saw Conor Henderson and Cedric Evina come on for Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Thomas Cruise.
There was just time for Alexander Cooper to be the third Liverpool player to be booked after a dreadful challenge on Coquelin. But it didn’t matter.
The four minutes of added time passed by quickly – just as Steve Bould would have hoped. The final whistle blew and the curtain came down on what has been an outstanding campaign for Bould’s boys who can once more call themselves Champions – this time of the F.A Youth Cup.
It was a fitting way to repay the Legends of 89′.
Article By – J.Sanderson
Nice one J. Very impressed with Wilshere again, and Sunu saw Sunu play fully for the first time and he looked generally very good. JET didn’t have the best of games though.
UP THE GUNNERS!
Watt is brilliant, why don’t we here more of him? Lansbury was excellent, except for crosses and shots, Wilshere magical, Sunu ‘Henry-esque’, Coqueling exceptionaly good apart from two minutes of Pool dominance, the CB’s were great if not a bit mistake prone at times, the backs aren’t good enough, Murphy is wonderful, and JET… is a lazy sack of shit. Great power, great technique, great shot, but all in all.. Shite!
Also great to hear the voice of Jack Wilshere, he sounds so young, god bless, he is younger than me!
u r fast than lightening man!!!!!
well deserved victory….
ledge fitting for the day
I heard that our sweepers were error prone this evening, is this true??? And what about Dalla Walle, is he the best prodigy seen this night?
Glad to see E-Thomas say that the kids need to keep their feet on the ground and work hard when it comes to trying to get near the first team.
Not error prone, but we certainly missed Frimpong IMO. He really sorts things out alongside Coquelin, but in the end our pace and power was too much for them.
I was impressed with henderson his passing his excellent, lansbury was good i would like to see him play CM, coqulin was ok but second half he got exposed. Sunu was good, watt was brilliant. Ayling was very solid and bartley played well but looked dodgy at times.
Well… i mean they did make a few mistakes, a lot more than i am used of them, especially Bartley, he was at fault for the goal.
Yh we definitely missed frimpong wilshere was brilliant going foward but going backwards he was awful,
Lansbury is learning very much by playing RM such as decision making, discipline etc that is required in top level football to enable him to play CM later.
JET is still an enigma but he looks like he could benefit from playing wide otherwise his lack of team understanding means he may be only able to play AM similar to Gerrard. But not be able to dictate play and dominate the centre to play CM.
Watt looks really interesting. Could be a surprise success.
Wilshere looks like he will see much of his career out wide and AM in sporadic bursts especially if Arsenal continue a policy of having two strikers.
@ the brain, I agree that Watt is very interesting so we will see, i still think Sunu will eventually on wing not just bcuz he skillful & has good ball manipulation but also bcuz of his workrate ala Rooney, Park and Hargreaves stopping the opposition from playing.
JET like i have said before is just a worse version of Diaby, to see an homegrown not putting the work in is very dissapointing thus i feel he needs a full season loan to make him understand that life in the pro isnt easy.
@ John, Henderson looks impressive everytime i see him, a left-foot to die for.
Yeh I thought on the day it was pretty even. You could see the extra maturity in arsenal’s play though, we kept the ball well and dominated for periods really.
Defensively we didnt close down quickly enough, and I think coquelin was vital to the side, he reads the game well and is cool in possession
I also really like sanchez watt. Of the side id say only wilshere and coquelin are extremely likely to make it, but there are plenty of others, (almost every single other player in fact) who will be very close to making it to the first team, and will probably be premiership players regardless – great work, it seems the arsenal youth system just gets better every year!
Not going to criticise any of the players. They only derserve praise for what they’ve achieved.
C’MON ON ARSENAL!!!
dalle welle was good, liverpool looked fairly dangerous up front
arsenal’s attack just seemd so much more mature imo, lansbury for example, seemed to make all the right moves but i think got over-excited at times and overhit a few passes (very gerrard-like)
I’m so chuffed for the lads, seeing them celebrate was awesome. To be honest, it just reminded me of what it would be like if me and my mates won a trophy!
They all seem to get on well and it has to be a good thing for the future.
My tips for the first team after this are: Bartley, Coquelin, Wiltshire, Lansbury, Jay and maybe Watt. Murphy and Sunu need a solid season each on loan.
watts workrate tonight was magnificent even in the last few mins u seen him runnin in his own half to try and win the ball back. I didnt realise he had tthe sort of pace he showed tonight … MOTM: Watt… also i thought thomas cruise was really stable and is v. comfortable in possesion
Sykes was superb.
The real question is… will all of these guys make it as a professional footballer? From all of the comments it appears quite possible apart from the fullbacks. Correct me if that is wrong, but that is just the feedback I am getting from previous comments. How about the keeper? is he any good?
Clearly non of you were watching the same game. Thought JET was certainly one of our stand out performers. And saying he doesnt’t put in work is a joke, I lost count of the times he came back to bail out the Left back.
Mark my words, he will make it but not where many of you think. JET can become a world class targetman. He is very good at taking the ball out of the air, and he strikes the ball better than Adebayor or Bendtner do at the moment. This should be his long term position.
All will make it as professionals. I have no doubt about that. I’d say at least 8 will make it in the Premier League. The rest will be at some level for sure.
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Its difficult to judge players cause different players develop at different times. Take a player like thomas cruise. Technically he looks excellent hes got great postional sense but physiclly he needs to get stronger. In 4 or 5 years time he could be one hell of a player.
Lansbury and wilshere have got the inteliegence required to play in the premiership. Their awareness of where people is quite good for thier age. Also sanchez watt could be the suprise package next season he could feature in our first team.
The surprise of the season is Watt. He had no big name, seemingly unknown but as the season progressed began to show his capability. Watt has scored so many important goals this season.I wasn’t impressed by Bartley today but his combo with Ayling is still great. Players to make the great include, Jack, Watt, Sunu, Coquelin, Frimpong, Ayling and Bartley.
I have my doubt about JET, he plays like Diaby at times.
Watt is a true revelation like Gibbs this season
Jay Thomas was awful today he gave the ball away quite alot. Also hes too calm kind of reminds me of berbatov looks a very stylish player and lazy as well.
Henri lansbury, jack wilshere, watt, ayling, shea were our best players on the pitch. Henri today showed his exceptional vision he surely got to be played CM, Jak wilshere dribbling was quality, ayling was good apart from a little slip for the goal. He headed everything away. Next 3 ,4 years he could be one hell of a centre half. He will get taller, stronger and faster.
Is thomas ince an arsenal fan? Did he have an interview today?
you know i wanted 2 ignore the comments about some of the playas but…….ok…ok…right! the team just won the double! the DOUBLE! can u read! i’ll say it once more THE DOUBLE!!!!!! and we get these prick toss guy’z, who cant b Arsenal fans because if they were, they wouldn’t b talkin crack ass-bum-suck’in sheet-rat suit- mudafukaz! and i hate to curse! (forgiveness!) u bumfuzzle! ya no! oh yeah congratz bye the bye! (4 the double!) our playas r the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you know i wanted 2 ignore the comments about some of the playas but…….ok…ok…right! the team just won the double! the DOUBLE! can u read! i’ll say it once more THE DOUBLE!!!!!! and we get these prick toss guy’z, who cant b Arsenal fans because if they were, they wouldn’t b talkin crack ass-bum-suck’in-rat suit- mudafukaz! and i hate to curse! (forgiveness!) u bumfuzzle! ya no! oh yeah congratz bye the bye! (4 the double!) our playas r the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Academy league title and Youth Cup double, very well done to the all involved @ the academy. 9 players from the last youth cup run in 2006-2007 have played for the 1st team with 2 being a permanent 1st team players so high hopes for this current squad.
Jay thomas probably had his worst game of the season, but haho is getting carried away.. he is far from being “shite”. he’s been the young player of the season.
Lansbury was very disappointing, gave the ball away too much again. Wilshere had a very good game
Henri Lansbury is a central midfieler and not a winger and that is where he should play IMO.
Why is there so much criticism of the players? They just won the Youth Cup 6-2!!! Jeez.
LMAO @ at the guy who thinks JET should be a target man. You know nothing about football mate.
JET was atrocious today, hands down the worst player. He contributed absolutely nothing besides Diaby-esque dallying on the ball.
Wilshire, Lansbury, Coquelin, Bartley, and possibly Watt just have that little bit something, mentally, that other players don’t. Lansbury did not have his best game, but you can tell mentally he’s much better. I’m not going to compare him to anyone because that is not helpful, but he certainly has a big chance of making it.
Wilshire the next Bergkamp-ish player for Arsenal. He’s simply made to play in the hole. Bartley is a great tackler and our best defender hands down. He is very much like Rio Ferdinand.
Sanchez Watt reminds me a lot of Jay Simpson, as does Sunu.
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I agree with Wengerbrain. Nothing comes easy, mistakes are made on the way to success. I hope this marks the beginning of the era of home talent. The “beginning” because we must not rule out the reserves either. Barcelona can field seven players from their academy in the first eleven. Hopefully Arsenal will outdo them in the near future. Also find The Brain’s views on Lansbury playing RM eye-opening. I’m a Lansbury fanatic and believe he’ll make it right to the top. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him captain England in the future.
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Is it just me who thinks Lansbury is very Beckham-esque? Maybe not in crossing ability, but in general English poster-boy-ness?
watts is fantasttic player his so fat direct runs …IMAO .. Wat i saw last nite i could say he worls harder than adebaarndoor
So we all agree that most of our Youth players can make it if not in Arsenal then in some other Premiership club….we all picked our talents and somehow agreed that there`s no place for our fullbacks to make it..here I will remind you to read what our coaches said about Ashley Cole`s talent and how he managed to “work it out” to where he is now…so we should be very proud of our player`s technical level but not chose them by it, but by their work rate
lansbury = gerrard
wilshere = iniesta
frimpng = essien
coquelin = a better mascherano
bartley = ferdinand
ayling = jagielka
cruise = g neville (but on the other side)
sunu reminds me of wiltord for some reason
jet = diaby
not that its good to make comparisons on anything.
It’s great that the guys have won but as it is not a result based business, it’s natural to focus on their development. Technically there is not much to learn but in a team situation there is a lot and you can se those that are ahead.
A lot of the guys can make it at Arsenal but I like to say focus not on the ball but on the player, especially when they don’t have the ball.
Congrats on winning the daily double. Now what? The big club Arsenal needs a lot of help. You have to watch The Champions League final. It will be great. Lot’s of fun match ups.. The fire power of Messi verses Man U’s “D”. Ronaldo’s brilliance verse Barcelona’s suspect “D”. The Big “O” verses The Big “D”. The wild card will be Tevez. Thanks for reading Bobby Gee http://bobbygee.wordpress.com/
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Well here’s my 2cents worth..
I’m hoping JET is usually a box to box CM, cos last night he was atrocious. I seems the only thing keeping him in the game is the fact he’s physically well ahead of most other players of the same age.
Its hard to criticise young defenders due to lack of development / experience, but the full backs were pretty average and have no pace. Bartley looks like he could step up. Sunu was also impressive, good movement, quick and strong. Watt was probably the fastest player out there. Wilshere’s touch on the ball is nothing short of phenomenal, he will be as good as Iniesta in a few years. Murphy’s movement off the ball for the few mins he was on was also good.. I’d like to see more of him..
In a difficult game, some players shine and some just fade away. Coquelin, Lansbury, Watt, Bartley, Sunu are not only talented, but they also have such a great work rate. IMHO they are likely to make it at Arsenal.
Wilshere will definately make it at Arsenal, but he should stop believing the hype. Time and time he undid all his good work by being greedy and selfish. At the senior level, the important thing is the final pass. Nobody remember the nice flicks, but everybody remember the goals. Skinning two opponents and having a shot blocked is not as good as skinning an opponent once, make a pass to a teammate who scores. Being a glory hunter can be detrimental to your team and to your own career.
JET was so bad, it was unbelievable. He was laikadasical. He is talented and has an eye for a pass, but he need to buckle down. In the second half, when Liverpool slightly changed shape, he never tracked his opponent meaning that Coquelin was often left facing two to three players. He kept reacting rather than anticipating their movements. In total contrast, Henry Lansbury quickly adapted, he tracked and covered his opponent. JET relies on his physical attributes, however when he will play at the senior level he will realise that without intelligence and application talent and physical prowess is not enough. To me he looks like a junior version of Baptista. Maybe he needs a loan at lower league where he wont be able to bully his opponents like he can at U18 level. Normally a coach does not replace his not-injured captain, unless the captain is not doing his job. In the few minutes in the pitch, Conor Henderson was more disciplined than him.
I am afraid that our full backs will have a good professional career, but not at Arsenal and maybe not even at premiership level.
Regarding the Liverpool players, IMHO only two players have a chance to make it at Liverpool: their finnish striker and Paul’s Ince son. Their right midfield player may be able to play at premiership level. The rest will even find championship level difficult. Their centre halves were slow and cumbersome. Joe Kennedy has already been released, however in my opinion Ayala was worse. Very good in a dominant team, clearly exposed on one-to-one situation against a pacy opponent. He is a red card waiting to happen. Their substitute Cooper was just a thug who should have been send off for his deliberate elbow to Coquelin. In the five minuts on the pitch he committed three viscious fouls. After receiving a lenient yellow card, he was talked to by the refere twice. If he cannot accept defeat without resorting to such vicious attitude, he will not get very far.
How many of Arsenal’s last youth cup winning side are now playing in the premier league? I know there is pennant and bentley but who else?
Sidwell, Harper last season. Maybe more?
Oh – and Aliadiere (although just relegated…).
i watched the game n quite surprised by the quality of the match. those kids shown some good touch n techniques. wilshere clearly shoulder above with the rest of the lads, its like having a regular 1st team playing with a bunch of kids. im impressed with most arsenal youngster. liverpool got some good kids too but arsenal clearly a better side. nway, congrates for winning the cup.
Great victory!
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It’s weird that theres been no comprehensive highlights yet. I can’t find any footage of the match.
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