Premier League golden boot winner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be looking to add yet another piece of silverware to his collection as he leads the line for Arsenal against Chelsea in the UEFA Europa League final.
The Gabonese striker has scored eight goals and registered two goals in the competition, with most of those coming at crucial stages.
His best performance in the competition was reserved for the second leg of the semi-final against Valencia. Tasked to preserve a 3-1 lead from the first leg, Arsenal got off to a shaky start, conceding after just 11 minutes. Aubameyang restored parity in the game in just six minutes after he latched onto Alexandre Lacazette’s header and punished Valencia custodian Neto for coming off his line by slotting it home at the near post.
In the second half, he beat Neto at the near post again, after connecting well with Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ low-cross. Aubameyang later completed a well-deserved hat-trick by beating Neto at the near post for the third time.
The former Borussia Dortmund star had earlier contributed to two of Arsenal’s three goals in th first leg.
His contribution to Arsenal’s come-back against Rennes in the last-16 is also worthy of appreciation. After a 3-1 defeat away from home, the Gunners needed inspiration upfront to help turn the tie around and it arrived in the form of Aubameyang.
The 29-year-old opened the scoring in the fourth minute and supplied Maitland-Niles just 10 minutes later. He then tapped in Kolasinac’s low-cross to complete the come-back.
Clearly, Aubameyang is a proven threat and his ability to link-up with Lacazette and connect to the crosses delivered by the full-backs makes him a key player to watch in the final.
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