Arsenal returns to Wembley. Seriously.
The once feared Gunners, who have fought mightily this season and are currently 10th in the Premier League standings, will play for England’s second most prestigious trophy after Manchester City’s impressive two goals on Saturday – Emerick Aubameyang, advancing to next month’s FA Cup. end in london.
Arsenal will face Chelsea or Manchester United in the August 1 final at Wembley Stadium. Those two English titans face off in the other semifinal, scheduled for Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s team victory is as instantaneous as it was unexpected: visiting City entered the game as the overwhelming favorite, but it was no accident either. The home team were sharper in the first half, and they could have taken the lead even earlier if Aubameyang had not squandered a golden goal opportunity that seemed easier than either of the two they finally converted. Moments after that failure, the Gabonese striker made up for the mistake, finishing a pass move by Arsenal with an exquisitely delicate touch:
Once again, that opening goal was coming. City oddly lacked the precision and execution that made them consecutive Prem champions in 2018 and ’19 and kept them in second place (behind Liverpool) by a country mile for most of this season interrupted by coronavirus.
The city had also arrived in excellent shape, having gone 4-1 in its last five league games and beating its enemies 16-2 in that span. But even though they had most of the ball on Saturday, as usual, the end product was nowhere to be found. By the time the final whistle blew, only two of his 11 shots had been on goal.
And in truth, Saturday’s game ended the second moment that Aubameyang scored his second with about 20 minutes to play:
The win is especially sweet for Arteta, the former Gunners player and assistant city coach who was lured back to the capital after Unai Emery was fired in November for supervising the club’s worst stretch of results in nearly three decades. .
For former Arteta boss Pep Guardiola, it is the latest disappointment this season. After losing his bet on a Premier League three mob, City hoped to retain the FA Cup after winning the national double last season.
The Cityzens were looking at another double potential this summer; Guardiola’s team continues to compete for its coveted first Champions League crown and will take a 2-1 aggregate lead in their round of 16 return games with newly won Spanish League winner Real Madrid when it resumes. Europe’s top club competition next month.
Instead, through thick and thin, Arsenal heads to Wembley, where it will have a chance to end its most tumultuous campaign in recent memory with some hardware.
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