ON AUBA CONTRACT IT’S CLOSE’
for Aubameyang is “close”. That rounded off the perfect day for FA Cup winners Arsenal, who are on the march under Spanish boss Arteta.
Aubameyang struck early with a classy finish – his fifth goal at Wembley in three games after bagging two apiece in both the FA Cup semi-final and final.
New Liverpool signing Takumi Minamino sent the game to a spot-kick shoot-out with a 73rd-minute equaliser but Aubameyang had the final word.
Arteta said: “Big games, big moments, big players. Pierre has responded really well to that kind of pressure. He was magnificent in the FA Cup Final and the same today. On the contract, we are close.
“I’m so happy. I knew the challenge we were facing. Thank-you to the players for the effort and the performance.
“The courage of the team was the most pleasing thing, how aggressive we were without the ball and to break the pressure of Liverpool. I knew in the second half we would suffer. This generates belief, to be able to compete against a team like this in a final makes me happy.”
Despite Aubameyang’s impact, Ainsley Maitland-niles was voted man of the match on his 23rd birthday after scoring in the penalty shoot-out.
The youngster is a target for Newcastle but he said: “I’m an Arsenal player until I’m told otherwise. My heart is at the club and while I am here I am going to give 100 per cent all the time.”
Kop boss Jurgen Klopp felt Liverpool lost the game in attack with his front three simply not ruthless enough.
He said: “We deserved the equaliser and could have scored more but we didn’t do that. When you play against a formation like this, then you need to be really fresh in the final third and you need to force it, create angles. We fell short.”