Sanchez fires Arsenal to FA Cup final

Alexis Sanchez's extra-time winner helped Arsenal come from behind to book their place in the FA Cup final overcoming Manchester City 2-1 at Wembley.

Arsenal are now unbeaten at Wembley for the seventh consecutive time as goals from Nacho Monreal and Alexis Sanchez cancelled out Sergio Aguero's opener on the hour mark.

The loss signals the first time Pep Guardiola has failed to win silverware in his first season with a club and he and his side will rue missed opportunities and a controversial disallowed goal from Raheem Sterling in the first-half.

Arsenal will look to overtake Manchester United as the record FA Cup winners when they face Chelsea on the May 27.

The Gunners were happy to soak up early City pressure and this nearly cost them in the ninth minute when David Silva's dissecting ball found Aguero inside the box who uncharacteristically failed to control the Spanish Maestro's accurate pass in a promising position.

The North-London outfit created a rare opportunity three minutes later when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's cross from the right found Olivier Giroud inside the box before the Frenchman tamely headed into the arms of Claudio Bravo.

Bravo was beaten minutes later when laurent koscielny dispatched his effort from a set-piece before referee Anthony Taylor correctly chalked off the goal.

City found the net themselves in the 40th minute but it was ruled out after Sane's cross from the left-wing appeared to curl out of play before Raheem Sterling fired home.

The officials were increasingly becoming a key factor in the tie and Taylor had another big call to make just before the interval when Sanchez was bundled over in the box by Jesus Navas before Taylor wrongly dismissed the Chilean's appeal.

Arsenal started the brighter after the break but were punished on the counter-attack when Yaya Toure's precise ball found Ageuro who maintained his composure before cleverly flicking the ball over Cech and into the bottom-corner.

City hit the woodwork twice in three minutes when Toure's superb volley from outside the area was turned onto the post by Cech before Fernandinho's header rattled the crossbar.

The North London side derservdly pulled level in the 71st minute when Monreal finished at the back-post after a sublime cross from Hector Bellerin from the right-wing.

Arsenal and Welbeck squandered a huge chance as the game approached the 90-minute mark after the former Manchester United man chose to shoot despite Sanchez standing free at the back-post.

Indeed it was the former Barcelona striker who fired his side into a crucial lead in the 101st minute when he swept home from close-range after Welbeck's miscued effort fell luckily to the 28-year-old.

Wenger's team could have extended their winning margin moments later when Welbeck rose highest at the back-post from an Mesut Ozil cross but the 26-year-old found the side-netting.

Kevin De Bruyne came within centimeters of taking the tie to a penalty shootout after the Belgian's snapshot beat Cech as well as his far-post as Arsenal made the FA Cup final for the 20th time in their history.
 

 Image: Justin Tallis-GettyImages