Chelsea lift the Europa League cup as Hazard scores twice as parting gift

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

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 at Baku.

Chelsea destroyed Arsenal with four second-half goals, Eden Hazard scoring twice while Oliver Giroud and Pedro scored one each.

Arsenal only managed to score one goal, courtesy Alex Iwobi which was too little too late for Arsenal to come back in the final.
 

After scoring twice in Chelsea's 4-1 win over Arsenal in the Europa League final, Eden Hazard said it was the moment to call time on his magnificent career with the London club to seek new challenges.

The Belgian is widely expected to join Real Madrid and he capped a superb display against Premier League rivals Arsenal by converting from the penalty spot to make it 3-0 before adding the fourth to complete the rout.

"My dream was to play in the Premier League and I did it for seven years. I think it's a goodbye," Hazard told BT Sport.
 

Maurizio Sarri, fresh from winning the first major title of his managerial career with a 4-1 win over Arsenal, said he was happy in his role.

"I am lucky because I am in Chelsea, one of the best clubs in the Premier League, one of the best championships in the world," he said.

Sarri said he had urged his players to be bolder at halftime in the Europa League final, with the score at 0-0, after failing to make much of a dent in Arsenal in the first 45 minutes.
 

Unai Emery conceded that Chelsea had deserved the victory after Arsenal were thrashed 4-1 by Chelsea in the Europa League final in Baku.

The defeat means Arsenal failed to earn a spot in next season's Champions League for the third successive season, but Emery said another Europa League campaign would not put off potential targets joining the club.

Emery said his team, who finished fifth in the Premier League, were still very much in a "process" and he would evaluate his options over the summer.

After a goal-less first half, Chelsea broke the deadlock in the 49th minute through former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud's goal.

"It was good. The first half both teams had a bit of stress because it was a final. But when Olly (Giroud) scored it was the beginning of a great night," Hazard said.

The Chelsea attacker played a key part in Chelsea's 4-1 victory against the Gunners on Wednesday as he scored his side's second goal at the 60th minute.

"For us, lifting a title is the best, most satisfying feeling," Pedro told Chelsea's website.
 

Petr Cech announced before the game that the final in Baku would be the end of his 20-year career as a goalkeeper.

But Cech was unable to finish on a high as Arsenal suffered a heavy defeat to Chelsea.

''I'm proud of myself and I’m proud of the way I played today because when you play your last career game in the final there is a lot of pressure and speculation,'' Cech told BT Sport after the game.

Iwobi clawed a goal back for Arsenal in the 69th mintue but was of no help as Chelsea were leading 4-1 in the final.

The defeat means Arsenal will play in the Uefa Europa League next season after finishing fifth in the English Premier League.