Arsenal – Chelsea: Direct Arsenal Victorious Against Unfortunate Chelsea (2-1)

Mikel Arteta’s side were able to make use of a direct attacking strategy by utilizing the strengths of star forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to come back from a 1-0 deficit to beat Chelsea. Frank Lampard’s side had started strongly and were seemingly winning the midfield battle after going ahead, however, their cause was not helped by misfortune throughout the game as they lost César Azpilicueta and Christian Pulisic to injuries, and later Mateo Kovačić to a questionable sending off. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley.

This FA Cup final featured the two most frequent FA Cup winning clubs of the last fifteen years. To reach the final, Arsenal had overcome the odds against Manchester City with a tenacious defensive display. Meanwhile Chelsea enjoyed a comfortable win against a below-par Manchester United performance. 

Mikel Arteta once again selected the 3-4-3 system which has helped bring Arsenal some encouraging results since the restart. Nicolas Pépé, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made up the front line, with Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka as the central midfield pairing behind them. Ainsley Maitland-Niles deputised at left wing-back, while Héctor Bellerín was his right sided counterpart, flanking a back three . . .