As Aubameyang said himself, the talk about his future will have to wait for another day. With his contract set to expire next June, it will continue to be a hot and sensitive topic and it is clear how badly Arteta, the rookie manager for whom this was a first piece of silverware, needs him to re-sign. Arsenal will hope that the thrill of lifting the trophy, even if Aubameyang initially managed to separate cup from base and drop both parts, gives him an incentive to stick around.
For Chelsea, there was only frustration. They surrendered a position of authority after the first-half drinks break and it came to feel as though everything that could have gone wrong for them did so. They had bad luck with injuries, with the captain, César Azpilicueta, the talisman, Pulisic, and the substitute Pedro all forced off. For the latter, who damaged his shoulder and was taken away in an oxygen mask on a stretcher, it was a horrible end to his five years at the club.
Moreover, Chelsea felt that key decisions went against them, starting with the penalty award when Azpilicueta put his hands on Aubameyang. The problem for the defender was that he had allowed Aubameyang to get on the wrong side of him and any contract was always likely to be problematic.
Where the referee, Anthony Taylor, did get it wrong was in the 73rd minute when he showed Mateo Kovacic a second yellow card. The Chelsea midfielder, already booked for a lunge at Granit Xhaka, went in again on the same opponent. It looked as though Xhaka had trodden on him but Taylor saw it the other way. Chelsea felt that Xhaka was guilty of exaggerating the contact.
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