Arsene Wenger believes that reaching the FA Cup final against Hull City will give his team the end-of-season boost it needs to recover its UEFA Champions League place ahead ofEverton, which overtook the Gunners in fourth spot in the Premier League table over the weekend thanks to its 1-0 win at Sunderland. Wenger’s men were at Wembley, where they needed a penaltyshootout to outlast defending champ Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup semifinal following a 1-1 draw after overtime.
“We have a target now for the end of the season, something to look forward to inthe FA Cup final, but in the meantime we can concentrate on the league,” Wenger said after his team lost its grip on fourth-place. “Hopefully this success in the Cup can give us a lift inour remaining league fixtures.”
The Frenchman added: “Wigan were impressive, but I knew they would be. They showed how they managed to knock Man City out in the quarterfinal. We were under bigpressure and I was relieved at the end, but when we needed to show some character and resilience, that was what we did.”
Meanwhile, Wigan coach Uwe Roesler, was proud ofhis team’s display. “I couldn’t ask for any more, not only today but since I walked through the door at the football club,” Roesler said. “We did very well against one of the top teams in thecountry. All credit to my boys, we tried to attack when we could, but because I am a German I didn’t think it was necessary to practice penalties.”