Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is mobbed by teammates after scoring his
team’s second goal during the English FA Cup final football match
between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in London, on August
1, 2020. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP)
Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 thanks to Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang’s brace in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
Let’s look at three things we learned from the Wembley
clash:
Irreplacable Aubameyang
In what could be his last game for Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang showed why the Gunners must do everything in their power
to keep the Gabon forward.
The 31-year-old is out of contract at the end of next season and
has been linked with a move amid reports he wants to play for a
club in the Champions League.
Coach Mikel Arteta insists Aubameyang wants to stay, but he also
conceded winning the FA Cup would be a useful way to show him the
club are heading in the right direction.
Arsenal did their part and it was Aubameyang who provided the
crucial cutting edge.
The first African player to start an FA Cup final as captain,
Aubameyang became the second-oldest player to score for Arsenal in
the showpiece.
With Arsenal trailing to Christian Pulisic’s early goal,
Aubameyang’s blistering break left Cesar Azpilicueta trailing in
his wake.
Azpilicueta responded by tugging at Aubameyang’s shoulder and
the forward made the most of the contact as he tumbled in the area
to win a penalty that he dispatched with ruthless efficiency.
Aubameyang won the German Cup with Borussia Dortmund in 2017,
scoring the winning goal from the penalty spot.
Once again, he would be the star, but this time it was his skill
and improvisation that proved decisive as he jinked past Kurt Zouma
and clipped a fine finish over Willy Caballero in the 67th
minute.
Chelsea hamstrung by Pulisic injury
Christian Pulisic had emerged as a key figure for Chelsea since
the coronavirus hiatus, but a day that started on a high for the
United States winger ended in agony.
It has been that kind of turbulent season for Pulisic, whose
first year with Chelsea started slowly amid injuries and poor form
before bursting into life.
He was on the scoresheet after just five minutes, with his 11th
goal of the season.
Drifting into central midfield to take possession, Pulisic
slipped a precise pass to Mason Mount and carried on his run into
the Arsenal penalty area, where he took Olivier Giroud’s flick and
slotted past Emiliano Martinez.
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Pulisic was the first American to score in the FA Cup final but
disaster struck in the 49th minute when he raced away for a shot
that was interrupted when he felt his hamstring twang.
Immediately grabbing the injured area, Pulisic was helped off
the pitch.
Without the pace of Pulisic to keep Arsenal’s defense on the
back foot, Frank Lampard’s side was bereft of a cutting edge in the
final third as the trophy slipped from their grasp.
Arteta bolsters growing reputation
Mikel Arteta enhanced his reputation as one of the Premier
League’s brightest young managers with another tactical
masterclass.
Having out-witted his mentor Pep Guardiola in Arsenal’s FA Cup
semi-final success against Manchester City, Arteta showed his
acumen again to leave Chelsea boss Frank Lampard out of
answers.
Arteta’s use of long passes into the channels behind Chelsea’s
two attacking full-backs exposed the flaw in Lampard’s defensive
system and led directly to Aubameyang’s equaliser.
Leading Arsenal to their 14th FA Cup success — which brings them
a place in next season’s Europa League — showed the 38-year-old
Spaniard is the man to restore the club’s tattered reputation.
Arsenal may have endured their lowest league finish for a
quarter of a century this season as Arteta battled to steady the
ship following Unai Emery’s sacking in December.
But he has won over his players with a direct approach to
discipline — banishing malcontents Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi
— and his astute game-plans.
Winning the FA Cup will buy Arteta time to continue his rebuild
and it was fitting his first trophy as Arsenal manager came in the
tournament that brought the last major silverware of Gunners legend
Arsene Wenger’s reign.
-AFP
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