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Petr Cech says Arsenal showed they do not lack leaders after reaching FA Cup final

<<enter caption here>> at Wembley Stadium on April 23, 2017 in London, England.
Image: Petr Cech says Arsenal showed they do not lack leaders after reaching the FA Cup final

Petr Cech says Arsenal showed they do not lack leaders by coming from a goal down to beat Manchester City and reach the FA Cup final.

However, the goalkeeper admits winning the competition for a third time in four years would still not excuse the team for failing to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Arsenal will face Chelsea in the final at Wembley on May 27 after providing a display of grit and determination to beat City 2-1 in extra-time on Sunday, and Cech says criticism of the players' mentality has been unfair.

<<enter caption here>> at Wembley Stadium on April 23, 2017 in London, England.
Image: Alexis Sanchez scored the winner for Arsenal

"I think it's easy to hide behind 'oh they lack leaders but they have leaders'. You need to see behind the scenes how well the team works and how we operate," Cech said.

"Sometimes you have periods of games where you prepare and do the right things but the game starts and it goes completely wrong.

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"We had a difficult period where the team was losing games it should have not lost and obviously you come to the situation where you play under pressure and need to find a way out. Sometimes you find a way out quickly and sometimes it takes a bit of time."

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 23:  Arsene Wenger manager of Arsenal celebrates his team's 2-1 victory at the final whistle during the Emirates FA Cup Semi-Final
Image: Arsene Wenger celebrates his team's 2-1 victory against Man City

The semi-final victory means Arsenal have registered back-to-back wins for the first time since January following a miserable run of form in the league.

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They sit seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, albeit with a game in hand, and are still to play Tottenham, Manchester United and Everton during the run-in.

Arsenal host a resurgent Leicester on Wednesday before travelling to White Hart Lane for a crunch north London derby on Sunday and Cech knows there is little margin for error.

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