David Awopetu
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang once again showed his worth to Arsenal as he fired them to a 14th FA Cup triumph.
The Gabon International scored twice as the Gunners fought back from a goal down against an unfairly treated Chelsea to win 2-1 in Sunday’s final at an empty Wembley Stadium.
Chelsea took the lead inside five minutes through Christian Pulisic’s smart finish but then fell victim to the brilliance of Aubameyang, who was also Arsenal’s hero when he scored twice in the semi-final win over Manchester City on the same ground.
The Gabonese forward drew Arsenal level from the penalty spot before the break after he was fouled by Chelsea captain, Cesar Azpilicueta, then produced a moment of world-class finishing to make the defining contribution to the first behind-closed-doors FA Cup final as he turned Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma inside out in the 67th minute before delivering the most audacious finish, chipping over keeper Willy Caballero from an angle.
Chelsea were hampered by a first-half injury to Azpilicueta and were struggling even further when they lost the outstanding Pulisic to a hamstring problem after the break.
Chelsea’s agony increased further when Mateo Kovacic was very harshly sent off for a second yellow card, awarded by referee Anthony Taylor for the most innocuous of challenges on Granit Xhaka.
The result is a massive one for the Gunners, who finish the season with a trophy, qualify for Europe and get revenge on their fellow London club after losing the Europa League final to them last season.
