Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has insisted that he did not feel any pressure when making his first start of the season in this afternoon's FA Cup final victory over Chelsea at Wembley.
The 32-year-old had spent the vast majority of the season on the sidelines with a knee injury, but a lack of other options forced manager Arsene Wenger to include Mertesacker in his starting XI for the final game of the campaign.
The club captain went on to produce a fine performance to help Arsenal to a 2-1 win over their London rivals, and Mertesacker believes that he proved he can still perform at the highest level.
"Two weeks ago I was already on holidays and didn't expect to play," he told BT Sport.
"It was just next man up in the squad, but I didn't feel any pressure. I just tried to be at my best and showed I could still do it."
The victory saw Arsenal win a third FA Cup title in the last four years and a record 13th overall.
