IT AUBAS WELL FOR FUTURE Skipper steps up... now club must do so
Arsenal have now lifted the FA Cup a record 14 times.
The last time they were beaten in a final at Wembley was 40 years ago, when Frank Lampard senior was playing left-back for conquerors West Ham.
It seemed history might repeat itself when the Chelsea team managed by his son took a f i fth- minute lead through Christian Pulisic.
But this was Aubameyang’s evening, while Chelsea ran into a mountain of problems.
The Blues lost captain Cesar Azpilicueta, Pulisic and sub Pedro through injury.
They also had to play the last 17 minutes with 10 men when Mateo Kovacic was shown a harsh second yellow card for a foul on Granit Xhaka.
And their number was reduced again in injury time when Spanish forward Pedro was carried off.
Early chances for both teams before Pulisic struck suggested this was going to be an oldfashioned London tear-up on the cobbles but the American’s goal was a thing of beauty.
Pulisic collected Jorginho’s pass and kept moving after immediately working the ball to Mason Mount on his left.
Mount’s low cross into the box was flicked on by Olivier Giroud and there was Pulisic again to lift a glorious finish over keeper Emiliano Martinez.
On the touchline, Lampard resisted the temptation to dash to the nearest corner flag to perform the traditional family celebration.
The Chelsea boss was right not to get carried away.
His team bossed the opening exchanges but the drink’s break gave Arteta the chance to rally his players and the contest turned.
Pepe thought he had scored one of the great cup final goals – only for the glorious, curling 25- yarder he sent arcing over Willy Caballero to be ruled out because Ainsley MaitlandNiles had strayed offside in the build-up.
But moments later they were level anyway.
Aubameyang got goal side of Azpil icueta in the 28th minute then felt an arm on his shoulder as the Blues defender tried to recover.
That was all the excuse the Gunners striker needed to take a tumble and referee Anthony Taylor had no doubts – a penalty for Arsenal and a yellow card for the Chelsea skipper. Both decisions looked dubious. But both were upheld by VAR Stuart Atwell – and Aubameyang sent Caballero the wrong way from 12 yards.
Now it was Arsenal in the ascendancy while Chelsea suffered another blow when Azpilicueta limped off with a knee injury.
Lampard was forced to reorganise again when Pulisic sent a shot wide in the early moments of the second half and suffered a hamstring strain that ended his evening in the process.
As the contest continued to drift from end to end, it seemed