Young Gunners lift Youth Cup

The FA Youth Cup, sponsored by E.ON
The Final, Second Leg
7.45pm, Tuesday 26 May 2009
Anfield, Liverpool FC

Arsenal lifted The FA Youth Cup for the first time since 2001 tonight, with an emphatic 6-2 aggregate victory over Liverpool after a 2-1 second leg win at Anfield. Sanchez Watt's first-half strike and a Liverpool own-goal ensured Arsenal won at least one men's trophy this season.

The Gunners had taken a stranglehold on the tie with a 4-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Friday, with goals from Gilles Sunu, Jack Wilshere, Watt and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.

However Arsenal were not content to sit back and defend their sizeable first-leg lead, with Watt collecting a cross from Emmanuel-Thomas and sprinting past Liverpool defenders Daniel Ayala, Jack Robinson and Joe Kennedy to score in the 25th minute. The Arsenal team, and those on bench, then rushed to the corner flag for a celebratory group hug.

This young Liverpool team had a reminder of the club's history of comebacks, with a copy of the official half-time UEFA score-sheet for the 2005 Champions League final posted on the dressing room wall: Liverpool 0-3 AC Milan. Liverpool fought back to draw 3-3 and were victorious after a penalty shoot-out.

The Reds rallied in the 52nd minute when striker Lauri Dalla Valle pulled a goal back, running past three Arsenal defenders to score under the body of Arsenal goalkeeper James Shea before Watt's 64th-minute attempt skimmed the crossbar and in the counter-attack, Dalla Valle shot straight to Shea.

David Amoo and Christopher Buchtmann then also took shots for a revitalised Liverpool, with first-team manager Rafa Benitez watching from the stands. But the momentum petered out when Arsenal scored a second in the 70th when Watt's shot was turned in by Ayala.

Liverpool had been more low-key in the first half, with Dalla Valle's ninth minute chance blocked by a sprawling Shea and rolling wide. Shea was called into action again in the 19th minute when making a reaction save with his chest to deny Alexander Kacaniklic.

With his father, former England and Liverpool captain Paul Ince watching from the stands, Reds winger Thomas Ince had a chance in the 37th minute, with Shea diving to save.

Arsenal's other best chance of the half was when Sunu curled a shot straight to Liverpool goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis just before the break.

Arsenal, who beat last season's champions, Manchester City, in the Semi-Final, have now won The FA Youth Cup final seven times – following wins in 1966, 1971, 1988, 1994 and back-to-back wins in 2000 and 2001.

Now the likes of Wilshere, Watt and Emmanuel-Thomas will hope The Cup will springboard them to top flight football success and follow in the footsteps of other former FA Youth Cup winners such as Michael Owen, David Beckham, George Best and Wayne Rooney. And with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger often favouring youth in his first-team, this trophy could be these players' big break.

Liverpool: 1 Dean Bouzanis, 2 Steven Irwin, 3 Jack Robinson (16 Karl Clair, 83), 4 Daniel Ayala, 5 Joe Kennedy (c ), 6 Andre Wisdom, 7 David Amoo, 8 Christopher Buchtmann, 9 Lauri Dalla Valle, 10 Tom Ince, 11 Alexander Kacaniklic (12 Nathan Ecclestone, 46)

Substitutes not used: 13 Deale Chamberlain, 14 Alexander Cooper, 15 Michael Roberts,

Arsenal: 1 James Shea, 2 Craig Eastmond, 3 Thomas Cruise, 4 Jack Wilshere, 5 Kyle Bartley, 6 Luke Ayling (Alexander Cooper, 83), 7 Henri Lansbury, 8 Franci Coquelin (15 Augzhan Ozyakup, 83), 9 Gilles Sunu (12 Rhys Murphy, 68), 10 Sanchez Watt, 11 Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (c ) (14 Conor Henderson, 83)

Substitutes not used: 13 Charlie Mann, 16 Cedric Evina

Referee: Lee Mason

Assistant referees: Matthew McLaughlin & Stuart Burt

Fourth official: Ian Smedley