Arteta's Arsenal offer Aubameyang a pen and a platform

Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (centre) and team-mates celebrate after winning the FA Cup final at Wembley. PA Photo

ARSENAL 2 CHELSEA 1

Mikel Arteta was the last man standing at Wembley. Frank Lampard's vanquished Chelsea were long gone and every other member of the Arsenal squad and staff were celebrating in their changing room while he savoured the final moment, a gleaming FA Cup close to his chest on the greenest of pitches. After only 28 matches in charge, Arsenal's head coach had his hands back on the trophy he last held as the club's captain six years ago.

Just 38 in March, Arteta is younger than Chelsea's goalkeeper Willy Caballero by nearly a year, so perhaps it was understandable he celebrated his first win as a manager like an excited player. A bizarre and historic Cup Final in so many ways, but to say Arsenal's record-extending 14th win meant anything less because they have won it so often or was the first without fans would be wide of the mark.

Arteta said afterwards it meant more to him winning as the head coach than as skipper. The players, led by inspirational two-goal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrated long, hard and without restraint, as did not always socially distanced supporters outside Wembley and back in north London in the environs of the Arsenal stadium with parties and fireworks crackling long into the sweltering August night.

Fun times aside, the significance of this comprehensive win as Arsenal dominated after falling behind to a great early Christian Pulisic strike, could be long-lasting for Arteta and his vision to make the club competitive again.

A defining few days towards the end of the season included a lockdown comeback Premier League win over champions Liverpool and an impressive tactical FA Cup semi-final triumph for Arteta against mentor Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, the club Arsenal recruited him from last December.

There were no winners' medals or silverware for those victories, however, so Saturday meant so much more to Arteta, his players and those who employ him. Europa League qualification is not the holy grail, as there are loftier European ambitions, but it gives Arteta a winning mentality and greater funds to build on.

He has shown his ruthless approach by omitting troublesome midfielders Mesut Ozil and Mateo Guendouzi from his squad and his mindfulness to put an arm around less obviously appreciated players old and young, such as David Luiz and Nicolas Pepe, to help them fulfil their potential.

And, in Aubameyang, Arsenal had the best player as he made it 68 goals in 108 appearances, top scorer for the second successive season. There remains every chance the Gabon international has played his last game for Arsenal with a new contract offer still unsigned, despite Arteta's confident prediction he can be convinced to stay.

Aubameyang, worryingly for Arsenal, refused to comment, but Arteta did not shy away from explaining his value to the club and said: “Scoring is the most difficult thing in football, that is for sure. He makes it look simple - look at the second goal he scored.

“But we always had incredible strikers at this football club and Auba deserves to be named and compared with the big names. By winning trophies he will be closer to that and the longer he stays there, hopefully we can have him for longer.

"The biggest problem was to convince him to work the way he was working. He was going to get more reward and more respect and our respect would go to admiration. Admiration from his team-mates and the people who have been with him and also from the fans. I think now the way he is conducting himself on and off the field, he has got that and has reached that.” 

Now he can go to his bosses and confidently say 'imagine what I can do with some time and money' after what I have achieved with this rabble in under 30 games.

The first August FA Cup Final started as many predicted with favourites Chelsea dominating in midfield and taking an early lead though Pulisic, who made the most of a deft flick on by former Arsenal favourite Olivier Giroud to beat a stranded Emi Martinez after only five minutes.

Arsenal were wobbling and it took an agitated Arteta's intervention at the first half water break to reorganise his formation and galvanise his players.

It was shortly after that Aubameyang tore into the penalty area and went down for a penalty under the close attention of Cesar Azpilicueta, the Chelsea captain, soon to go off injured, fortunate to escape a red card after the VAR review. The Arsenal captain sent penalty specialist Caballero the wrong way from the spot and Arteta's side were rarely off the front foot from then on.

Arteta, for what it's worth, was by far the more animated touchline coach and we could hear him constantly shuffling Luiz and his defence into formation from the press box.

Chelsea stirred again at the start of the second half and Pulisic threatened to score again four minutes after the restart, only to pull a hamstring before shooting. With him effectively went Chelsea's chances and Aubameyang won the day with a deft chipped finish after 67 minutes.

Still time for Chelsea to recover, of course, but they were not helped when controversial referee Anthony Taylor dismissed their influential midfielder Mateo Kovacic for what he deemed to be a second bookable offence. Lampard, who accepted the penalty decision, disagreed with that call, but graciously admitted Chelsea had lost to the better team.

ARSENAL: Martinez 7, Holding 6, Luiz 7 (Sokratis 88), Tierney 6 (Kolasinac 90), Bellerin 7, Ceballos 8, Xhaka 7, Maitland-Niles 7, Pepe 7, Lacazette 6 (Nketiah 82), Aubameyang 9.

Subs: Macey, Torreira, Nelson, Willock, Smith, Saka.

CHELSEA: Caballero 6, Azpilicueta 5 (Christensen 35, 6), Zouma 6, Rudiger 5 (Hudson-Odoi 78), James 5, Jorginho 5, Kovacic 6, Alonso 6, Mount 6 (Barkley 78), Giroud 6 (Abraham 78), Pulisic 7 (Pedro 49).

Subs: Arrizabalaga, Kante, Barkley, Tomori, Emerson.

Referee: Anthony Taylor 5