Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta becomes the 1st Arsenal man to win the FA Cup both as a captain and as a manager when he led The Gunners to their 14th FA Cup triumph with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over London rival Chelsea. It's Arsenal's 4th FA Cup glory in 7 seasons and perhaps the most important of all as it offers The Gunners a route into UEFA Europa League for next season having finished the league in club lowest 8th.
It was Chelsea who came off the block smoking with a 5th-minute goal when Christian Pulisic linked well with Oliver Giroud to dink over onrushing Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez. It was just Chelsea 2nd attempt on goal having seen Mason Mount powerful drive parried away by Martinez a couple of minutes earlier
Surely not the start Arsenal wished for but kudos to them as they rallied and were rewarded 20 minutes into the match when Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta pulled his opposition captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang down in the box. The Arsenal captain dusted himself up to tuck the spot-kick away as Arsenal levelled matters. Relief for Arsenal having seen an earlier goal by Nicolas Pepe correctly ruled out for offside.
Soon after, fortune began to smile on Arsenal as Chelsea captain and most reliable at the back Azpilicueta pulled a hamstring injury just after the half-hour mark and was replaced. Misfortune wasn't done with Chelsea as their most exciting player and scorer of their goal Pulisic pulled his hamstring just a couple of minutes into the restart and was duly replaced.
Arsenal captain Aubameyang completed his double on the night when he beats his marker Kurt Zouma and placed a left-footed dink into the far corner to give his side a 2-1 lead. Aubameyang's 28th goal of the season in all competitions. Another man of the match performance by the Arsenal Captain.
The night got even more frustrating for The Blues when Mateo Kovacic was harshly sent off for a 2nd bookable offence when he appeared to have stamped on Granit Xhaka, replay suggested otherwise. From then on, it was a disciplined display by The Gunners, reminiscing their recent victories over Liverpool and Manchester City. Chelsea couldn't muster a single shot on target in the entirety of the 2nd half.
Let off for Arsenal though in the 80th minute, having given another commanding display between the post, Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez, under pressure from Tammy Abraham, almost handle the ball outside the area. However, Arsenal held on to record their 3rd FA Cup Final triumph over Chelsea(2002 & 2017 2-0, 2-1 respt wins).
A bright spot in what could be described as Arsenal's worst league season since the league was rebranded to the Premiership in 1992 and the credit belongs to the manager Mikel Arteta who breathe a new lease of life into a demoralised squad. It's a work in progress for Arsenal, hopefully, they can build on this achievement.
Congratulations to Arsenal.
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