Chelsea Hammer Arsenal 4-1 to Lift Europa League Title
What was in stake for Arsenal outweighed that of their Europa League final opponents Chelsea. However, the Unai Emery-led side displayed lethargic and lackluster performance to lose 4-1 on the occasion in Baku on Wednesday.
Following a lowly season in the Premier League and failing to secure a spot in the Champions League by finishing in top four, fifth-placed Gunners paved a new potential route to play in the coveted European league next season. However, that was sabotaged by a clinical Chelsea in the summit clash of Europe’s second most prestigious football tournament.
Chelsea, who had already qualified for the Champions League courtesy to a third-place finish in the Premier League, shattered Arsenal’s dreams of winning their first-ever European trophy.
Here are some clips and pictures of Chelsea’s celebrations:
‘Hi Chelsea fans, this is for you. Fans in the stadium, fans in London, fans everywhere. I love you.’ 💙 @HazardEden10 #UELfinal pic.twitter.com/9yVa0YFv40
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 29, 2019
‘Today we showed this mentality and for the boys, for the manager, the fans and the staff, it is a great trophy to win.’@HazardEden10‘s thoughts… 👇#UELfinal
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 29, 2019
Maurizio Sarri has told us what he said to the team at half-time! 👀#UELfinal
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 29, 2019
Baku is Blue… and Green! 😉
🏆 #UELfinal pic.twitter.com/EIfUjqyarO
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 29, 2019
The goals galore for the Blues was started by former Arsenal man Olivier Giroud who headed in the ball past former Chelsea keeper Petr Cech with immaculate technique at the 49th minute. Following the Frenchmen, it was Spaniard Pedro who scored the second just two minutes later.
Eden Hazard then scored a brace later in the match to call it a game. The Belgian international potentially played his last match for Chelsea and is expected to join Real Madrid this summer.
Speaking to BT Sport, the 28-year-old said: “My dream was to play in the Premier League and I have done that for one of the biggest clubs so maybe now it is the time for a new challenge.”
While it was Chelsea’s second Europa league title this decade, Maurizio Sarri concluded the season with a first-ever major trophy in his career. “I am really very happy but the trophy is very important for the club,” Sarri said. “In the Europa League we played 15 matches, won 12 and drew three, so I think we deserved to win it.”