Magic. That’s the word they always use to describe the FA Cup. A stage where miracles are enacted and dreams are made true. Usually when people use that epithet they’re talking about some unlikely underdog story; David defeating Goliath and all that. And certainly for the first 15 minutes of this year’s final that Magic was there for all to see. But it was there also when Santo Cazorla scored that free kick. And it was there when Arsenal equalised. When Keiran Gibbs missed that sitter. When Aaron Ramsey scored the winner. When the final whistle went. Whenever the crowd cheered or leered or groaned. When Arsenal lifted that iconic trophy. When the team raised Arsene Wenger into the air. And most of all when an quarter of a million passionate Gunners fans packed the streets of North London for the victory parade the next day.

The underdog triumph stories are a huge part of the legacy of the FA Cup, the oldest football competition in the world. But if those win-against-all-odds Disney-movie scenarios are going to be as fresh and incredible as they tend to be, they can’t ever become the norm. The FA Cup cannot sink into the same swamp as the League Cup where the top teams don’t even bother to field their top teams and nobody cries in the crowd when their boys lose to Fulham in the fourth round. The best clubs need to care.

In that regard, it’s not a stretch to say that the past couple of years have reinvigorated the iconic competition. Wigan beating Manchester City was one of the great upsets in a long time. Then Arsenal’s triumph over Hull City, while not a surprise on paper, showed just what this cup still does for the top tier of teams out there. What a great game. What an incredible occasion. Arsenal were slow to get into the game, seemingly intimidated by the pressure of the stage, while Hull City held nothing back. The Tigers dominated the early stages and richly deserved that 2-0 lead within 10 minutes. Following such a disastrous start, Arsenal were at a point then where their true character was about to shine through one way or the other. Would they panic and crumble? Or would they fight back with assuredness and confidence? Eight years, eleven months and 24 days without a trophy. Another failure and Wenger’s job could even be in trouble. They’d be internet punchlines and this article would be reading a lot differently.

Instead Santi Cazorla scores a stunning free kick. The Gunners take control of the game, setting siege upon the Hull City goal. And although the underdogs played so well and defended so stoically, the equaliser came in the end, then in extra time Aaron Ramsey was able to – like the best players do – shrug off a mostly poor and ineffective game to really pull the strings and deservedly finish off the game with a lovely finish (He was man of the match, but only coz he scored the winner. Arguably the best performing players on the park were the Hull City back three of Alex Bruce, James Chester and Curtis Davies).

3-2 to Arsenal the final score. Just look at the players celebrate and tell me that this victory didn’t mean the world to them? These are guys who many of them are off to the World Cup soon, but this was still the biggest achievement of a lot of their careers.

Manchester City and Chelsea have dominated the last few years in this competition, one of them competing in the past five finals. And of course it was just as massive for Manchester City fans in 2011 to win their first trophy in years – lifetimes for some. Even when the final was contested between Portsmouth and Cardiff we still saw the biggest FA Cup final crowd in 20 years. Despite the priority for most teams being the league competition and cup runs being seen just as a consolation prize for many, the FA Cup final is never anything less than majestic. There’s nothing like a cup final to bring out the best and worst in players and fans. It’s the defining moment in the English football calendar.

The problem is that too many teams don’t keep an eye out on that end prize. They only see another midweek replay to battle through on a cold winter’s evening. Or a weekend off from the main stuff to give a few reserves a run around. It’s sad, because if you can make a run all the way to the late stages, it can capture the imagination of the fans like nothing else. And if your team should make it all the way to Wembley, no fan will ever forget it. Ask Hull City – they may have lost, but that was undeniably the greatest moment on the club’s history. Better than promotion, better than avoiding relegation. For a team like Hull, those things are gonna come and go, but the 2014 FA Cup final – especially those unbelievable first fifteen minutes - will never, ever leave them.

And for Arsenal: Nine years is a long time for a contending team to go without lifting any silverware. Not since Thierry Henry was last playing at Highbury had they felt that feeling. Arsene Wenger and his transfer policy has caught the majority of the blame for that, which is unfair. He was the one who brought about that golden era of the early 2000s in the first place. It’s like when Neil Young was sued by his record company for not sounding enough like Neil Young on his early 80s records. Dammit Arsene, why can’t you be more like that Wenger bloke? So it was wonderful to see him celebrating with the team afterwards, and especially seeing how much his players wanted to bring him in on all that. You think the players have lost faith in Wenger? Not a chance. Still, another year without a trophy and the murmurings get louder. It was an FA Cup win that saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job early on in his United career. It is the FA Cup that has now reinvigorated the Wenger Era at Arsenal. The Premier League is always the priority but the FA Cup is the sweet, sugary icing on the cake. It’s the one that people remember best.

Time will tell whether this proves to be a stepping stone to greater honours and success for Arsenal. But just like their valiant opponents, this is something that nobody can ever take away from them. Jack Wilshere will always be an FA Cup winner from now on. Aaron Ramsey’s winning goal will go down in FA Cup folklore. These were instants in time that are now moments in history. That’s the Magic of the FA Cup.

(Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)