Post by Webster on May 29, 2019 22:08:07 GMT
The Guardian: Chelsea win Europa League after Eden Hazard inspires thrashing of Arsenal
-Read more: www.theguardian.com/football/2019/may/29/chelsea-arsenal-europa-league-final-match-report-eden-hazard
It was hard to begrudge Maurizio Sarri his moment. Chelsea’s head coach has endured such a difficult first season in English football, his achievement in steering the team to a third-place finish almost forgotten in the traumas, dissent and occasional tantrums delivered from the sidelines. This could yet prove to be his last match in charge, with Juventus apparently eager to lure him back to Italy. If so, at least he went out on a high.
The Europa League was claimed in spectacular fashion here in front of an often absent owner, a drab first half forgotten as Chelsea roused themselves to run riot, slicing through a desperate Arsenal defence at will. Sarri had never hoisted a major trophy before in a coaching career that has spanned two decades, but he joined a club who tend to claim silverware even when apparently unsettled. This all felt familiar.
It was appropriate that Eden Hazard, another likely to exit with Real Madrid circling, would put Arsenal to the sword. The Belgian had already scored from the spot when, with the contest in its last quarter, he exchanged passes with Olivier Giroud before scuttling round the back of a flustered rearguard to reach the return and steer home his team’s fourth goal in 23 minutes. Hazard had always promised his parting gift would be a glittering trophy. “If we lose against Arsenal, it’d be a disaster for the club,” he had said. Their opponents’ dismal defence made that an unlikely scenario, even if few would have predicted that riotous second period.
There had been something rather strange about this occasion from the outset, which was perhaps to be expected given a London derby had been transplanted around 2,500 miles east to the shores of the Caspian with normal time to be played out either side of midnight.
Indeed, the soporific nature of much of the football through a scrappy first half had felt depressingly appropriate. There were plenty of supporters present clad in red and blue, waving plastic flags and pantomime booing every mention of an opponent that boomed out over the PA system, though, even with the influx of fans based outside England who had flocked to Baku, the stadium was far from full. The banks of empty seats felt damning....
The Europa League was claimed in spectacular fashion here in front of an often absent owner, a drab first half forgotten as Chelsea roused themselves to run riot, slicing through a desperate Arsenal defence at will. Sarri had never hoisted a major trophy before in a coaching career that has spanned two decades, but he joined a club who tend to claim silverware even when apparently unsettled. This all felt familiar.
It was appropriate that Eden Hazard, another likely to exit with Real Madrid circling, would put Arsenal to the sword. The Belgian had already scored from the spot when, with the contest in its last quarter, he exchanged passes with Olivier Giroud before scuttling round the back of a flustered rearguard to reach the return and steer home his team’s fourth goal in 23 minutes. Hazard had always promised his parting gift would be a glittering trophy. “If we lose against Arsenal, it’d be a disaster for the club,” he had said. Their opponents’ dismal defence made that an unlikely scenario, even if few would have predicted that riotous second period.
There had been something rather strange about this occasion from the outset, which was perhaps to be expected given a London derby had been transplanted around 2,500 miles east to the shores of the Caspian with normal time to be played out either side of midnight.
Indeed, the soporific nature of much of the football through a scrappy first half had felt depressingly appropriate. There were plenty of supporters present clad in red and blue, waving plastic flags and pantomime booing every mention of an opponent that boomed out over the PA system, though, even with the influx of fans based outside England who had flocked to Baku, the stadium was far from full. The banks of empty seats felt damning....