Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker lifted the FA Cup for the Gunners on Saturday before insisting any criticism aimed his way only makes him a better player.

The German World Cup winner had not started a game all season but was called upon for the final against Chelsea after suspension and injury decimated Arsenal's defence.

Despite concerns over his fitness having only featured for 37 minutes over the course of the entire campaign, Mertesacker was a man-of-the-match contender as Arsene Wenger's side secured a 2-1 win at Wembley.

It was expected the 32-year-old would endure a torrid afternoon against the likes of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, but instead he was at the top of the game, leading Wenger to single him out for individual praise in his post-match press conference.

And Mertesacker said that the more his ability is questioned the better he will become.

"I expect myself to perform at that level every single week," he said.

"I don't know if I'm capable but I've done it for 15 years. The more people that write me off, the stronger I get. That's my feeling.

"I think we have shown great support in him (Wenger) as well and for his trust in us. We have shown with that performance, it's a statement."

FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings David Ospina - 6 out of 10 Aside from a handful of impressive saves – he should have done better to deny Costa’s equaliser. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Rob Holding - 5 out of 10 Was Arsenal’s only weak link today – he was outpaced and struggled to deal with the Chelsea forwards. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Per Mertesacker - 9 out of 10 Despite initial concerns, Mertesacker proved himself to be a battering ram at the back. A terrific all round display. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Nacho Monreal - 7 out of 10 His positioning was impressive, he tackled well and his movement off the ball created space at the back. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Hector Bellerin - 7 out of 10 The Spaniard defended well, but it was his attacking input that proved pivotal today. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Aaron Ramsey - 9 out of 10 His winning goal capped off a top performance from the Welshman. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Granit Xhaka - 8 out of 10 Xhaka was oozing confidence today and it reflected in his play. Top display. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 6 out of 10 It was a quiet display from the Ox, but his occasional input was impressive. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Mesut Ozil - 9 out of 10 It was a sparkling display from the German, who gave it his all out there today. His movement off the ball and creative passing proved problematic for Chelsea. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Alexis Sanchez - 9 out of 10 His opener injected the Arsenal side with energy and confidence. For the remainder he worked well in possession and his work rate was faultless. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Danny Welbeck - 8 out of 10 Welbeck has pace in abundance and this was effective for the Gunners. He was charging down the flanks and this started a number of moves. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Thibaut Courtois - 7 out of 10 He commanded his box well and collected a number of loose balls. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings David Luiz - 7 out of 10 Luiz made a number of vital clearances and blocks, but it was not enough to deny Arsenal’s two goals. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta - 7 out of 10 His attacking input provided another option for Chelsea and he looked confident in possession up the pitch. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Gary Cahill - 8 out of 10 Cahill made two heroic goal-line clearances which kept Chelsea in it. Remarkable defensive play today. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Victor Moses - 3 out of 10 Moses picked up two yellow cards today which left Conte’s side with ten min. The latter of the two bookings was for a blatant dive. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings N'Golo Kante - 6 out of 10 As always, he was the engine of the midfield for Chelsea. However, he had gave away possession on several occasions – which is unlike him. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Nemanja Matic - 6 out of 10 Defensively Matic did his job, but he failed to provide an attacking element for Chelsea. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Marcos Alonso - 7 out of 10 Going forward Alonso proved problematic, but defensively he failed to stop a number of Arsenal moves. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Pedro - 7 out of 10 Pedro was Chelsea’s most promising prospect going forward, but he did not receive enough service from the midfielder. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Eden Hazard - 6 out of 10 Hazard’s inputs today were short and sweet. Ideally, he’d have seen more of the ball as he looked impressive in possession. FA Cup final: Arsenal vs Chelsea player ratings Diego Costa - 7 out of 10 He scored the equaliser with a clever strike, but once again his temper was getting the better of him at times.

Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring at Wembley with a controversial goal having appeared to handle the ball in the build-up to his effort - which had originally been chalked out for offside before referee Anthony Taylor overruled his assistant.

Chelsea were reduced to 10 men in the second half after Victor Moses was shown a second yellow card for diving inside the Arsenal area - but the newly-crowned Premier League champions would still find a way to equalise through Costa.

The cup was decided when Aaron Ramsey headed home three minutes later.

Mertesacker showed a mixture of composure, strength and leadership to patrol Arsenal's back three in his first start of the campaign.

The experienced centre-back had suffered a serious knee injury in a pre-season match at Lens.

He returned to fitness in early 2017 but could not find a way into the side, with his only appearance coming as a substitute in the final league game of the season against Everton following Laurent Koscielny's red card and an injury to Gabriel.

The former Werder Bremen defender admitted he had "suffered" this season but was delighted to be able to give his all as Arsenal turned a mediocre campaign into a memorable one by securing a record 13th FA Cup win.

Mertesacker had not started a game all season before Saturday's triumph (Getty)

"I'm just blessed for this opportunity," he added.

"For the trust from my team-mates and my manager because being sidelined for such a long time, I suffered a lot this season because you want to contribute on the pitch.

"To be able to do that today was a very proud moment for myself and to lead the team out for the first time officially as captain is a great moment for myself.

"At the end of the day everyone trusted me and supported me throughout the season and the manager gave me the opportunity."