Victory gave Blues boss Maurizio Sarri the first trophy of his managerial career and ensured the Gunners will miss out on next season’s Champions League.

With only about 5,000 fans from both sides able to make it to Azerbaijan, there was an eerie atmosphere at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, which appeared less than half full.

That was the surreal setting for a match played 2,500 miles away from both teams’ home, and the game itself was devoid of action before the break before bursting into life early in the second half.

Former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud broke the deadlock when he met Emerson’s clipped cross with a powerful near-post header that zipped past Petr Cech.

Cech, also facing his old side and playing the final match of his career, could do nothing about Chelsea’s second goal either, with Pedro sweeping home a Hazard cross.

Hazard made it 3-0 from the penalty spot soon after, sending Cech the wrong way after Ainsley Maitland-Niles fouled Giroud.

Substitute Alex Iwobi briefly gave Arsenal hope with a powerful first-time strike moments after coming on.

But Hazard quickly made sure of victory, playing a one-two with Giroud and firing home Chelsea’s fourth goal.

The Belgium forward said after the game it was likely to be his Chelsea “goodbye” as he continues to be linked to Real Madrid.

Hazard says goodbye with sparkling display

Chelsea’s triumph brought them their fifth European title, and their first since they won the Europa League in Amsterdam in 2013.

An emotional Sarri celebrated with his players on the pitch, but his future remains in doubt despite ending his first season at Stamford Bridge on a successful note.

Hazard’s departure appears rather more certain, and his performance ensured this game will be at least partly remembered for footballing reasons, after being overshadowed beforehand by politics, plus travel and ticketing issues.

The Chelsea fans who did make it to the game – via train, plane and even taxis – were rewarded by a typically effervescent display from a player who has sparkled for them over the past seven years.

Giroud deserves credit too, particularly for his finish for the opening goal that led to Arsenal’s collapse.

But it was Hazard who made the difference, as so often this season and in previous years.

If he does go, the question is who will replace him?

Cech signs off with painful defeat

While Sarri was able to end his troubled first season with a smile, Arsenal counterpart Unai Emery had to watch in horror as his hopes of leading his side back into the Champions League after a two-year absence disappeared in the space of 16 second-half minutes.

That was how long it took Chelsea to build an unassailable three-goal lead thanks to the kind of Arsenal defensive collapse that has been all too familiar this season.

Emery won this competition three times with Sevilla but this defeat is particularly painful as it will almost certainly significantly affect his summer spending.

The Gunners will be back in the Europa League again next season, but they will be without veteran goalkeeper Cech, who is set to retire at the age of 37.

This was not the fairytale ending his glittering career arguably deserved, but Arsenal’s capitulation was nothing to do with him.

There was little he could do with any of Chelsea’s goals from open play, let alone the penalty, and he actually helped to limit any further damage with some impressive late saves.

Man of the match – Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

Match stats – Giroud & Pedro join elite clubs

• Chelsea won their fifth major Uefa European competition final, with only Liverpool winning more among English clubs (eight).
• Arsenal conceded four goals in a European match for the first time since a 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich in March 2017 and were the first team to do so in a Uefa Cup/Europa League final since Middlesbrough lost 4-0 to Sevilla in 2006.
• Chelsea became the first team to win a major European title without losing a game (W12 D3) since Manchester United in the 2007-08 Champions League.
• Arsenal have now lost five of their six major Uefa finals, including their last four in a row (1995 Cup Winners’ Cup, 2000 Uefa Cup, 2006 Champions League, 2019 Europa League).
• Chelsea won 12 Europa League matches during 2018-19. Only one team have won more matches in a major Uefa European competition in one season (Atletico Madrid in 2011-12, 13 wins).
• Olivier Giroud became the first player to score 11 goals in major European competition for an English club since Alan Shearer in 2004-05 for Newcastle United.
• It is a record by a French player in a single European season, breaking the record held by Nestor Combin in 1963-64 (Cup Winners’ Cup) and Just Fontaine in 1958-59 (European Cup).
• Chelsea’s Pedro became the fifth player to score in a European Cup/Champions League and Uefa Cup/Europa League final, after Allan Simonsen, Dmitri Alenichev, Hernan Crespo and Steven Gerrard.
• In his final match, Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech conceded four goals in a match for only the third time in major European competition.
• Chelsea’s starting XI featured no Englishmen, the first time a team had started a major European final without a player from their home nation in their starting line-up since Inter Milan against Bayern Munich in the 2010 Champions League final.
• Eden Hazard scored twice for Chelsea, becoming the first player to do so in the final of a major Uefa competition for an English club since Mark Hughes for Manchester United against Barcelona in the 1991 Cup Winners’ Cup.

Source: BBC Sports

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It was made by Lacazette’s leap to head the ball to his mate and finished with Aubameyang’s acrobatic flick. It resonated to see them marching to the Europa League final together, because last season, to Arsenal’s frustration, that was impossible.

During the semi-final last May, which Arsenal lost narrowly against Atlético Madrid, Lacazette shouldered the burden on his own while Aubameyang kicked his heels in frustration at home. The Gabon striker was in the bizarre position of being forbidden from playing in Europe. A quirk in Uefa regulations meant Arsenal’s record signing was cup-tied even though he had been playing for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League before his transfer in January 2018. At the time Arsène Wenger complained that the rule was archaic. It has since been abolished.

And then there were two. It is their obvious preference to play in tandem and they are eager to make up for the annoyance of last season’s restrictions. “It’s different because we have Auba,” says Lacazette about this European campaign. “Auba is a really good striker and the defenders find it difficult to take care of him.” Defenders certainly have more to think about when playing Arsenal now. Exhibit A: Valencia were punished by the pair seven times as they ran amok, happily setting up each other where possible. Their display had the stamp of Champions League quality so it is little wonder they are so keen to get back there.

It felt like a defining moment for a team trying to find a new path under Unai Emery. All season he has talked about the challenge of finding balance, of creating just the right temperature to keep defence and attack boiling nicely at the same time. That has been easier said than done but the bar has been set in the Europa League knockout rounds. It took a few months of experimenting for Emery to realise that whatever he does he really has to start with his strikers and work it out from there. Chelsea know their biggest problem is two-pronged.

“Playing with Auba is always a pleasure for me,” Lacazette says. “We work a lot in training to be quicker and have a good relationship.” They play with an obvious rapport but Lacazette is quick to point out there is the odd glitch. “Sometimes it is wrong!” he says, laughing. “Sometimes he goes left and I put the ball right. But normally we work a lot to be on the same wavelength. We want to be as perfect as possible.”

Although it would be natural to have some competition in the search for goals, there is no edge if one scores more than the other. “I am not jealous of anyone,” Lacazette says. “I just want to win trophies; Auba as well. It is always better to play together but when one plays and the other stays on the bench you just have to help the team when you can.”

For players of their quality, they have not won many trophies. Aubameyang has one League Cup from his time in France and one German Cup. Lacazette has one French Cup seven years ago. He is also overlooked by Didier Deschamps for the France team, which hurts. What more does he have to do than score regularly in the Premier League and Europe? “Maybe I need to score 30 or 40 goals, I don’t know.”

Aubameyang is the senior man on the goals chart this season with 31 goals and eight assists, and a share of the Premier League golden boot. He is in exalted company in having scored more than 25 goals in each of the last five seasons – only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suárez, Robert Lewandowski and Sergio Agüero have achieved that level of consistent threat. Lacazette’s 19 goals and 13 assists demonstrate how his talent goes beyond the predatory.

Their differing characteristics complement each other. Lacazette was named Arsenal’s player of the season in recognition of his relentless work, his capacity to track back, hassle defenders and start attacks. Aubameyang is more of a flashes player, who can appear to drift before suddenly scoring.

Arsenal, for all their trust in the attacking duo, could not be happier that Danny Welbeck has made it back from serious injury to be available from the bench as another option to take the game to Chelsea.

Lacazette celebrated his 28th birthday on the eve of the final in Baku. Aubameyang is 29. They are at peak age but winning trophies and returning to the Champions League, feels urgent. Lacazette makes that plain: “We just have to win the final.”

Source: theguardian.com

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The Gunners are now one win away from Champions League qualification, while manager Unai Emery can make history by winning a record fourth Europa League crown.

Trailing 3-1 from the first leg in London, Kevin Gameiro’s close-range effort had given the hosts the early impetus.

However, Aubameyang’s right-foot volley from 20 yards levelled matters before Alexandre Lacazette put Arsenal ahead with a placed effort into the right corner.

Gameiro, a four-time winner of the competition at Sevilla and Atletico Madrid, tapped in Valencia’s second of the night before Aubameyang rounded off the scoring.

The Gabon forward slid in from Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ cross and then blasted emphatically into the top corner late on to complete his hat-trick and a 4-2 win.

It means Arsenal, whose first away game of this Europa League campaign was in Azerbaijan against FK Qarabag, will return to the country to face Maurizio Sarri’s side in the final on Wednesday, 29 May (20:00 BST).

It will be the first all-English affair since Tottenham defeated Wolves over two legs in 1972, when the competition was known as the Uefa Cup – and the first time that all four finalists in Europe’s top two club competitions have come from one nation.

Aubameyang and Lacazette strike again

Barring an unlikely combination of final-day results in the Premier League – Arsenal need to win and Tottenham to lose, with the Gunners making up an eight-goal swing in goal difference – Arsenal’s Champions League hopes now rest on winning the Europa League.

Portugal, Ukraine, Belarus, France and Italy have been among the destinations that Emery’s side have visited, navigating 14 games to reach the final and while they have been unconvincing on occasions, this performance underlined their credentials as potential winners.

Emery, who has earned the tag “Mr Europa League” after winning the competition in 2014, 2015 and 2016 while in charge of Sevilla, was vindicated in his bold team selection.

The deployment of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Mesut Ozil all worked as they recovered from Gameiro’s early goal to overcome the intimidating atmosphere inside the Mestalla Stadium.

Ozil’s 92{15f500c9a3855fa3038cb9a33cf07c1aa2f670126538eb526e4034fc2e26063b} passing accuracy was better than any other Arsenal player when he departed just after the hour mark, while Aubameyang and strike partner Lacazette demonstrated their growing understanding.

Responsible for the Gunners’ first-leg lead, the duo again tormented their Spanish opponents throughout. Lacazette’s flick-on allowed Aubameyang to race clear and volley in their opening goal, before he swivelled on Lucas Torreira’s pass when scoring the visitors’ second.

Aubameyang’s two late goals brought up 48 goals between them this season, with no other Arsenal player contributing more than six. But Emery’s next task is to turn his club into winners in Europe.

While his remarkable record now stretches to 19 unbeaten Europa League knockout ties, Arsenal have lost their last three major European finals – the Champions League final to Barcelona in 2006, the Uefa Cup final to Galatasaray in 2000 and the Cup Winners’ Cup final to Real Zaragoza in 1995.

Spirited Valencia run out of ideas

While Valencia had enjoyed a good record against their opponents on the east coast of Spain, it had been 16 years since their last victory over Arsenal, which came in the Champions League.

That was success was heavily indebted to the aerial power of Norway forward John Carew, who scored twice in a 2-1 win.

And at time, the La Liga side may have wished for an alternative route to goal – particularly during the second period when Arsenal’s control of the tie appeared complete.

While Gameiro added to his impressive CV in the tournament with poacher’s efforts, taking his tally at the Mestalla to 11 goals in his last 12 starts, there was a predictability about Marcelino’s side, with which Arsenal’s three-man defence got to grips as the game wore on.

Portugal winger Goncalo Guedes, who carried much of their early threat was shackled by Maitland-Niles and eventually withdrawn, as was Rodrigo Moreno, the creator of both Valencia goals.

That left Gameiro without any supply and allowed Arsenal to capitalise at the other end of the pitch.

Man of the match – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

‘We can be proud of the whole club’ – what they said

Arsenal manager Unai Emery told BT Sport: “I am very proud of the players and the supporters. The players did all they could and we can be proud of the whole club.”

On his past success in this tournament: “The past is for experience and can be used in the present. It is very difficult to play in finals – we took our opportunity today which we are happy about.

“We knew we had to be calm after they scored and we needed to control our emotions. It is very difficult to score four goals against this team because they are very organised. It gave us confidence to score quickly, we know our strikers are taking chances.”

Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang told BT Sport: “We have learned from last season and this year we didn’t make the same mistakes. Now we are through to the final.”

On his relationship with Alexandre Lacazette: “We have talked a lot about our relationship and it is a pleasure to play with him, above all when you win games like this.”

Arsenal in seventh final – the stats

• Arsenal have qualified for their seventh European final (one Fairs Cup, three Cup Winners’ Cups, one Champions League, two Uefa Cup/Europa League), lifting the trophy on only two of the previous six occasions.
• Valencia lost for only the second time in their past 22 home games in all competitions (W15 D5).
• Arsenal won away at Spanish opposition for the first time in eight games (D2 L5), since a 1-0 win at Real Madrid in February 2006.
• Including finals, Arsenal manager Unai Emery has won his last 19 Europa League knockout ties, last being eliminated from the competition in the 2011-12 semi-finals with Valencia.
• Valencia’s Kevin Gameiro has been directly involved in 12 goals in his last 12 starts in home Europa League games, scoring 11 and providing an assist for the other one.
• Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has netted 29 goals in all competitions this season, a haul only Sergio Aguero (31) can better among Premier League players.
• Since his debut in August 2017, Alexandre Lacazette has been directly involved in 51 Arsenal goals in all competitions, more than any other player (36 goals, 15 assists).
• Excluding own goals, 11 of Arsenal’s last 12 Europa League goals have involved Lacazette and/or Aubameyang (four goals and one assist for Lacazette; six goals and two assists for Aubameyang).

What’s next?

Arsenal travel to Burnley in their final Premier League game on Sunday 12 May (15:00 BST) before they face Chelsea in the Europa League final in Baku on Wednesday, 29 May (20:00 BST).

Source: BBC Sports

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