A fumble from Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici in extra time handed Arsenal a 2-1 victory and a place in the FA Cup final . The Royals keeper , who had made some fine saves earlier in the match , allowed Alexis Sanchez 's low shot to squirm between his legs and over the line on 115 minutes , which was enough to see the Gunners return to Wembley on May 30 to try to defend the trophy . Sanchez had swept the Gunners into the lead on 39 minutes . However , Reading were level when Garath McCleary 's volley was deflected past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny , who could only palm the ball back over the line . Sami Mokbel rated the players ' performances at Wembley . Alexis Sanchez 's low shot squirmed agonisingly through the legs of Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici . READING ( 4-4-2 ) Adam Federici 6 . Made a string of excellent saves before THAT moment he 'll want to forget . Wo n't sleep for a week . Chris Gunter 7 . Did an admiral job in dealing with Sanchez . Steady performance from the right-back . Michael Hector 8.5 . Performed superbly in the heart of Reading 's well-drilled back-four . Looks to have a big future . Alex Pearce 8 . A dominant figure for the Wembley underdogs . The skipper lead by example . Jordan Obita 7 . Got forward as often as possible to provide Reading with an attacking outlet . Federici tries desperately to stop the ball going over the line after it rolled through his legs and out of his grasp . Garath McCleary 7.5 . Showed discipline in helping Gunter cope with Sanchez before shocking Wembley with the equaliser . Nathaniel Chalobah 7 . Composed in central midfield and worked hard in protecting his defenders . Booked . Daniel Williams 7.5 . A combative display in the Reading engine room . Did n't give Arsenal 's midfield a second 's peace . Hal Robson-Kanu 6.5 . Good tussle with Debuchy . Gave as good as he got down the Royals ' left side before begin subbed . Jamie Mackie 6.5 . Always looking to play off Mertesacker 's shoulder ; his movement and pace caused problems . Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck ( centre ) has an effort blocked by Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici . Pavel Pogrebnyak 7 . The focal point of Reading 's attack . Excellent contribution to McCleary 's goal . Subs . Jem Karacan ( on for Robson-Kanu , 89 ) 6.5 . Added legs to Reading 's midfield for extra time . Simon Cox ( on for Chalobah , 105 ) 6 . Thrown on as Reading searched for a second leveller . Yakubu ( on for Pogrebnyak , 111 ) N/A . Could n't muster some of his old magic to save Reading . Subs not used : Kelly , Norwood , Andersen , Cooper . Manager . Steve Clarke 7.5 . His side were brilliantly organised from the outset . The Scot can be mightily proud of his troops . Gareth McCleary 's second-half strike went over the line for Reading after a deflection from Keiran Gibbs . ARSENAL ( 4-2-3-1 ) Wojciech Szczesny 6.5 . He 'll have nightmares about McCleary 's goal , but it 's hard to blame him for the equaliser . Mathieu Debuchy 6.5 . His first appearance since January 11 and it showed in patches as the Frenchman lacked match sharpness . Per Mertesacker 6 . Went close with an early header before limping off early in the second half . Laurent Koscielny 7.5 . Took a whack to his nose in a early collision with Mackie but recovered to be the dominant figure in Arsenal 's defence . Striker Sanchez ( right ) celebrates alongside team-mate Keiran Gibbs after scoring for Arsenal against Reading . Kieran Gibbs 6 . Not been regular of late and it showed . Looked a little rusty at times . Francis Coquelin 6.5 . As ever , put a real shift in but did n't do enough to stem Reading 's second-half tide . Santi Cazorla 7 . The Spaniard saw plenty of the ball , pulling the strings for the Gunners on a tense afternoon . Aaron Ramsey 6.5 . Playing down the right does n't suit the Welshman . And how did he miss that chance to score in the final five minutes ? Mesut Ozil 8 . Unlocked the door with an excellent pass to set up Sanchez 's first goal . Probed and probed . Arsenal had an inconsistent first half before Sanchez struck clinically after Mesut Ozil passed to him excellently . Alexis Sanchez 8 . Not his most influential afternoon but still popped up with two goals at Wembley . Danny Welbeck 6 . Well shackled by Pearce and Hector before being replaced in the second half . Subs . Gabriel ( on for Mertesacker 63 ) 6.5 . Could easily have scored twice from headers . Olivier Giroud ( on for Welbeck 72 ) 6.5 . Added physicality to the Gunners ' forward line . Theo Walcott : ( on for Coquelin 101 ) 6.5 . Slotted in down the right for the final 20 minutes . Subs not used : Wilshere , Ospina , Monreal , Flamini . Manager . Arsene Wenger 7 . Yet another nervy Wembley outing for the Frenchman . It really should n't have been this tense . 7 . MOM : Michael Hector . Referee : Martin Atkinson : 7 . Att : 84,081 .
Reading keeper Adam Federici made a string of saves before THAT howler . The second half was even more bizarre. Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez ( 8 ) popped up with the two crucial goals .