BAKU (REUTERS) - Eden Hazard scored twice and created a third to steer Chelsea to a 4-1 victory over London rivals Arsenal in the Europa League final in what looks likely to be the Belgium winger's final game for the Blues.
Chelsea destroyed Arsenal with four second-half goals that handed coach Maurizio Sarri his first major trophy at the age of 60, although that might not be enough to silence the speculation that he could also be leaving Stamford Bridge imminently.
Former Arsenal hero Olivier Giroud and Spain attacker Pedro each got a goal to give Chelsea their third European title in seven years, with the Champions League triumph in 2012 followed by their first Europa League victory in 2013.
Hazard, who joined Chelsea in 2012, looked emotional when he was substituted in the final minutes and held his hands over his eyes to an ovation in Baku's cavernous Olympic Stadium.
The Belgium winger has signalled he wants to move to Real Madrid in the close season.
"My dream was to play in the Premier League and I did it for seven years," Hazard told a television reporter shortly after the final whistle.
"Maybe I think it is time to say goodbye.
"We will decide in a few days and the only target in my mind was to win this final. I have made my decision already and now I'm waiting on both clubs. I think it is a goodbye, but in football you never know."
Â
After a tepid first half, Giroud put Chelsea ahead in the 49th minute with an angled header.
The Blues doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Pedro diverted a cross from Hazard beyond former Chelsea keeper Petr Cech, who was making his last appearance before retiring as a player.
With Arsenal on the ropes, defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles collided with Giroud to concede a penalty that Hazard stroked home after 65 minutes.
Alex Iwobi clawed a goal back for Arsenal but Chelsea restored their three-goal cushion in the 72nd minute when Hazard swapped passes with Giroud to score his second.
Arsenal have lost five of their six major European finals, with their only victory coming in the 1994 Cup Winners' Cup against Parma.
The defeat in the early hours of Thursday - the final in the Azerbaijan capital kicked off at 11pm local time to coincide with peak viewing time in England - also deprives Arsenal of their last chance to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Chelsea had already made sure of their place in Europe's elite competition by finishing third in the Premier League.
But Arsenal coach Unai Emery is on more solid ground than Chelsea's Sarri who, after one stop-start season at Stamford Bridge, has reportedly been targeted by Juventus back in his native Italy.
"Sarri is a great guy, a great coach and he deserves this," Chelsea defender David Luiz said.
"The manager did amazing for this club. I don't know about speculation, now is the time to talk about the title."
ROME (AFP) - Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic hailed his team for pulling off a "miracle" to secure their top flight survival with a 3-3 draw at Lazio on Monday (May 20) enough to keep the northerners in Serie A next season.
Bologna earn 'miracle' Serie A survival in six-goal Lazio
Ikhsan gets off mark in Norway, Football News & Top Stories
Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi says he will miss the rest of the season after suffering a ruptured Achilles in Monday's 2-2 draw against Burnley. Hudson-Odoi limped off helped by two members
Chelsea's Hudson-Odoi says he will miss rest of season
Former FAS General Secretary, Winston Lee withdraws candidacy for AFC exco seat Winston Lee informed the FAS of his decision to withdraw his candidacy for the AFC Executive Committee
S.League to be rebranded as Singapore Premier League!
Palace rout Leicester to step up pressure on Puel Crystal Palace piled further pressure on Leicester City manager Claude Puel on Saturday with a comprehensive 4-1 Premier League win over his
Palace rout Leicester to step up pressure on Puel - The
2. The proper response from the Reds is not retaliation and escalation. Leave the bush league moves to the goons. It's a lose-lose approach for the Reds. 3. The game is changing. When Dietrich admires a home run, or Garrett celebrates a strike out, or the whole team mobs home plate after a walk off home run - that's modern baseball.
Never Give Up Quotes (739 quotes) - Goodreads
Find West Ham Latest News, Videos & Pictures on West Ham and see latest updates, news, information from NDTV.COM. Explore more on West Ham.
Lacklustre Liverpool slip up again at West Ham - Pulse Nigeria
TOKYO (REUTERS) - Manchester City will play a pre-season match in Japan for the first time when they take on J League side Yokohama F. Marinos on July 27, the Premier League champions said on
Man City to play pre-season match in Japan against Marinos
A MAGAZINE has caused outrage after publishing a photo of a white editor perched on a black woman chair as the US remembered civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. New magazine Buro 247 has
Roman Abramovich and his wife Dasha Zhukova separate | Daily
Mesut Ozil made the most of being handed a rare start by Arsenal boss Unai Emery as the German masterminded a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday to keep the Gunners in pole position for a
Ozil leads five-star Arsenal past Bournemouth
SYDNEY — The 17 th Asian Cup finals will be the biggest in the 62-year history of the tournament but even with 24 teams battling it out, it is hard to look much beyond regional powers Iran, Japan and South Korea as potential champions. Australia will be hoping to join that trio and Saudi Arabia as
Usual suspects in the frame at expanded Asian Cup - Middle
Football: Arsenal inflict first domestic defeat on Solskjaer to surge into top four. Arsenal's Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates scoring their second goal.
Arsenal Inflict First Domestic Defeat On Solskjaer To Surge
A model at that all states have adopted in whole or in part. pro-commerce codification of common law contract principles that courts use for guidance when buyers and sellers of goods have failed to otherwise address potential breach of contract issues and relevant contract remedies on their own
PDF Data Security Breach Notification Laws
Claudio Ranieri meets the press for the the third time in three days this afternoon at Motspur Park as he previews Fulham's trip to Manchester United. The Cottagers played out a 1-1 draw with the Italian's former side Leicester City on Wednesday night, where Aboubakar Kamara put his side ahead before James Maddison equalised with just 16
Fulham appoint Ranieri after sacking Jokanovic - Newspaper
Manchester United sacked Jose Mourinho as manager on Tuesday morning and are expected to appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker boss for the remainder of the season. The Premier League giants
Manchester United set to appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as
0 comments:
Post a Comment