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Arsenal's victory means Southampton qualify for Europe for only the second time in 30 years. With the Gunners having already reached the Champions League by virtue of their league position, their Europa League spot for winning the FA Cup goes to the next highest-placed Premier League side – Southampton, who finished seventh.
Ronald Koeman’s side will enter next season’s competition at the third qualifying round, playing their first leg on 30 July.
They join Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham – who qualified via Uefa's fair play league - as England’s representative’s in next season’s Europa League.
This is the second time in 12 years in which an Arsenal FA Cup victory has sent Southampton into Europe. The 2003 success for Wenger’s side, against Gordon Strachan’s Southampton in
Show all 24 1 /24Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Wojciech Szczesny During Villa’s early aerial assault, Szczesny was confident and comfortable, punching astutely. Not a bad way to say goodbye. 7/10
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Hector Bellerin The 20-year-old looked assured in the biggest game of his career, sprinting up and down the right wing and testing Richardson. 7
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Laurent Koscielny Barely tested at the back after the first 20 minutes, he made no mistakes and was always confident in possession. 6
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Per Mertesacker Ended the contest when he scored with his shoulder, and deservedly so after another season of professionalism and leadership. 8
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Nacho Monreal His clever run to the by-line and cross set up Walcott’s first goal, after which he defended cleverly and calmly. 7
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Francis Coquelin Relished the physical scrap in midfield, where he shut down everything Villa tried, and let his more talented team-mates shine. 7
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Santi Cazorla The brains of this Aresnal team, he covered the whole pitch, always keeping the ball, starting attacks and beating opponents. 8
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Aaron Ramsey Darting inside from the wing, Ramsey was consistently dangerous, making runs which Villa’s defence never came to terms with. 8
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Mesut Ozil This was a £42million performance, as Ozil glided around the pitch, always in space, spotting and playing perfect passes. 9
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Alexis Sanchez Will always be remembered for the spectacular second, but his perfect header back across the box set up the first. 9
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Theo Walcott Utterly vindicated Wenger’s big decision to pick him, putting Arsenal ahead with an emphatic strike with his weaker left foot. 8
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Off the bench: Olivier Giroud Wrapped things up by slotting home a simple fourth goal in injury time. 7
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Shay Given Beaten by two great strikes, and while the second left him floundering, there is little he could really have done. 5/10
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Alan Hutton Wanted to provide width but was well pinned back by Arsenal, and after a yellow card was toothless as well. 4
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Ron Vlaar Would surely have rather faced Olivier Giroud, Vlaar never looked comfortable with the spritely Walcott darting in behind him. 4
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Jores Okore Villa’s only defender who could keep up with Walcott, he made one brave block but otherwise looked rather lost. 5
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Kieran Richardson One desperate block stands out, but Richardson spent most of the game trying to cover two opponents, and naturally struggling. 4
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Ashley Westwood Tried to anchor Villa’s midfield but was outmanoeuvred by Cazorla and Ozil who were able to pass the ball around him. 4
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Fabian Delph Did all the running in Villa’s midfield but was up against superior players and had no legal means of stopping them. 4
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Tom Cleverley One of the Villa midfielders who could not live with quality of Arsenal, chasing the ball around, never getting close. 3
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Jack Grealish He was brilliant here in the semi-final, but today he simply could not influence the game, barely seeing the ball. 4
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Charles N'Zogbia Asked to run off Christian Benteke’s flick-ons, N’Zogbia barely got in the game at all and did not last an hour. 3
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Christian Benteke Won his share of headers but never looked like causing Arsenal real problems. Lost Mertesacker for the fatal third goal. 5
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Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 - FA Cup final player ratings Off the bench: Gabby Agbonlahor More dangerous than N’Zogbia, was unlucky not to win a penalty when he was tripped in the box by Coquelin. 5
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Cardiff, sent the South Coast side into the Uefa Cup as losing finalists – before this season’s rule change reverted the place to League positions.
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