Rio Ferdinand: What I liked about Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea FC
Rio Ferdinand was impressed by Mikel Arteta's tactical nous after Arsenal's 2-1 win over Chelsea FC in the FA Cup final
Rio Ferdinand hailed Mikel Arteta for showing “tactical awareness” as Arsenal came from a goal down to beat Chelsea FC 2-1 in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
The Gunners lifted the trophy for a record 14th time and picked up their first piece of silverware since Arsene Wenger left the club after beating the Blues at Wembley.
Christian Pulisic had given Chelsea FC the lead in the fifth minute as the Blues dominated the opening exchanges.
But Arsenal drew level in the 28th minute when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted a penalty after he was brought down in the box by Cesar Azpilicueta.
Aubameyang then made it 2-1 to the Gunners when he fired home a lovely dinked finish in the 67th minute at Wembley, before Chelsea FC were reduced to 10 men when Mateo Kovacic was harshly shown a second yellow card.
The FA Cup win was Arteta’s first as a manager, and former Manchester United defender Ferdinand was very impressed by the way the Spaniard set up his team against the Blues.
Speaking to BT Sport after the final whistle, Ferdinand said: “What I liked about today from an Arsenal perspective was that they started the game second best.
“They got pinned back and tactically they seemed a bit all over the place. Tactically, he [Arteta] worked it out.
“In terms of tactical awareness as a manager, he worked it out.
“And it wasn’t anything intricate about formations or anything like that. It was a simple tweak – get the ball from back to front quickly in the area that Aubameyang plays.”
Arsenal’s win over Chelsea FC booked their place in the Europa League for next season after they finished eighth in the Premier League.
