Arsenal vanquishes 10-man Chelsea to win record 13th FA Cup

Arsene Wenger in?

The much-maligned French tactician, ridiculed this season by fans and pundits alike, got one over on his detractors Saturday, as Arsenal closed out an otherwise harrowing campaign with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

The win, procured through an Aaron Ramsey header in the 79th minute, gives the Gunners their third FA Cup in the last four years, and sees the north London club establish a new record with their 13th triumph in the storied competition.

Related - Watch: Ramsey heads in quick response after 10-man Chelsea's leveller

Wenger, whose future with the club is expected to be sorted out next week, now stands alone atop the managerial ranks with seven FA Cup wins.

After a season fraught with disappointing displays, Wenger's men turned up in a big way against the Blues, dictating play from the opening whistle; in truth, the 2-1 scoreline flattered the Premier League champion, as Chelsea looked laboured throughout the contest, unable to keep up with the quickness, pressing, and incisive passing of Arsenal.

Some will ask where that type of performance was all season, but, if nothing else, at least the Gunners had it going on this day.

A controversial early goal from Alexis Sanchez set the tempo; the Chilean appeared to handle the ball when it was kicked against him by N'Golo Kante, and then the linesman appeared to flag for offside when Ramsey - who was in an offside position - moved toward the loose ball. But the Welshman stopped himself at the last second, and Sanchez continued his run and sliced the ball beyond Thibaut Courtois.

After initially ruling it out, referee Anthony Taylor awarded the fourth-minute tally after consulting with his linesman.

Related - Watch: Sanchez volleys home as initial offside call is overruled

Arsenal could have bagged another couple in the opening stanza, but an inability to capitalise on that superiority looked like it would come back to haunt the north London lot on the other side of the half-time interval.

Despite seeing Victor Moses sent off after receiving his second yellow of the contest for a truly awful dive, Chelsea levelled proceedings in the 76th minute through Diego Costa.

Arsenal, labelled as a club that wilts in precisely these types of situations, did exactly the opposite, reacting brilliantly to the setback.

And it only took three minutes.

Ramsey ghosted into the penalty area, pulling away from Kante - who was unusually dreadful on the day - and thundered home a header after a perfect ball from Olivier Giroud, who had just been introduced as a substitute.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Arsenal, playing with a makeshift back-three of Per Mertesacker, Rob Holding, and Nacho Monreal, bent, but never broke, and ultimately held on to secure the record-breaking triumph.