Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that he gambled that his side would defeat Hull City in extra time of the FA Cup final having taken off two of his potential penalty takers.
The Frenchman introduced Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky for the second half of extra time as they replaced Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil.
The arrival of the duo breathed new life into the Gunners, who managed to find a winner as Aaron Ramsey got the goal to end their nine-year trophy drought.
"I had a funny feeling not to go to penalties," Wenger told the club's official website. "I tried desperately not to go to penalties because I did not have many players on the pitch who were specialists at it. I tried to go for it before the end.
"It paid off but we had a horrible feeling for a long time in the game and in the end it was a relief. The job is how it finishes, all the rest nobody cares."
Wenger will reportedly commit his future to the club by signing a new deal before the start of the World Cup.