"It will go down as one of the strangest FA Cup finals on record. Arsenal's 2-1 win over Chelsea in 2020 was played at a near-deserted Wembley while the Gunners received the trophy on the pitch, instead of climbing the famous steps to the Royal Box for the presentation as is tradition. Despite fans being prevented from attending the domestic showpiece becaue of Covid, it was a day Matt Smith will never forget."
"Aged 19 and without a competitive first-team appearance to his name, the boyhood Arsenal fan was named on the Gunners substitutes bench after Mesut Ozil was left out, external by Mikel Arteta. After the full-time whistle confirmed the first and - as of right now - only major trophy of Arteta's reign, Smith received a winners' medal and had his picture taken with fellow substitute Bukayo Saka on the pitch with the FA Cup."
"When you're that young you don't really understand the importance of being part of the FA Cup final or the memories it's going to give you for the rest of your life. It's only now I realise how grateful I was to be involved in something so special like that. I remember getting my suit for the final and it being way too big for me. I didn't want to say anything because I was young."
Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in the 2020 FA Cup final at a near-deserted Wembley, with the trophy presented on the pitch because fans were barred due to Covid. Nineteen-year-old Matt Smith, a boyhood Arsenal fan without a competitive first-team appearance, was named among the substitutes after Mesut Ozil was left out. Smith received a winners' medal, posed with Bukayo Saka and kept lasting memories of the event. He had been on the bench for the quarter-final and semi-final before the final. Smith now plays in midfield for Wigan Athletic and returns to the Emirates for a fourth-round FA Cup tie against Arsenal.
Read at www.bbc.com
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