Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has thanked manager Arsene Wenger for showing faith in him by naming him in the starting lineup for this afternoon's FA Cup final.

Walcott muscled his way into contention for the central striking role with a hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the Premier League season, before adding another to set the Gunners on their way to a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa at Wembley today.

Having been sidelined through injury for much of the last 18 months, Walcott was delighted to have been handed the chance to start ahead of Olivier Giroud on such a big stage, and he was full of praise for the whole team's performance on their way to a record 12th FA Cup crown.

"It was amazing. Any win is fantastic," he told BBC Sport. "The manner we did it today was great, we played great football and kept a clean sheet. We always knew if we kept a clean sheet we were going to score goals and win the game.

"I've got to thank the manager for having the faith in me and picking me as well. This team is blessed and there's got to be many more next year."

Walcott also expressed his belief that Arsenal are "very close" to launching a Premier League title challenge with their current crop of players.