Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger jumped to the defence of stricken Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici after his mistake gifted Arsenal an extra-time winner to send the Gunners through to the FA Cup final with a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
The Australian stopper had excelled prior to allowing Alexis Sanchez’s shot to squirm through his hands in the 105th minute of a gripping semi-final at Wembley, after earlier goals from Sanchez and Garath McCleary had extended the game beyond 90 minutes.
Federici repeatedly denied Arsenal with some stunning saves but was utterly inconsolable at the final whistle after his howler, and Wenger had sympathy for the Royals player.
“He feels certainly he let his team down but I would tell him that he saved his team on many occasions,” said the Gunners’ boss.
“I don’t think he should be disappointed with his performance because he played very well.”
Wenger praised Reading’s performance as the Championship side rose to the occasion, and the Frenchman’s relief was evident after the Gunners narrowly kept their hopes of retaining the trophy alive.
Arsenal struck the woodwork three times throughout the entire contest but Wenger also felt his side failed to match the quality of recent displays which had seen them win their last ten domestic games.
He said: “Overall Reading played the game of their life. They fought for every ball and we have to give them credit. Their keeper kept them in the game for a long time.
“You want your team to be perfect always and unfortunately that is not always the case but we got to the final and that’s the most important thing. We wanted it and in the end we got it.”
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