Eden Hazard ready to quit Chelsea after scoring twice as Blues beat Arsenal 4-1 to win Europa crown
Chelsea's star midfielder Eden Hazard celebrates with the UEFA Europa League trophy after the Blues beat Arsenal 4-1 in the final at Baku, Azerbaijan on Wednesday. Pic/AFP
Eden Hazard scored twice and then admitted it was his parting gift as the Belgian's brace helped Chelsea sweep away Arsenal to win 4-1 in the Europa League final in Baku. This match started at 11pm local time on Wednesday in Azerbaijan, but it was Thursday by the time it came to life with a flood of second-half goals started by Olivier Giroud's 49th-minute opener against his old club.
Hazard then set up Pedro Rodriguez for Chelsea's second before grabbing a double of his own — including a penalty — either side of Alex Iwobi's consolation for Arsenal. The Belgian is widely expected to leave Chelsea for Real Madrid after seven years in England, and this was the perfect way for him to bow out. "I think it is a goodbye, but in football you never know," Hazard, 28 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."
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Arsenal players are dejected after the final on Wednesday. Pic/AFP
We deserved it: Sarri
It is his, and Chelsea's, second Europa League this decade, while it is Maurizio Sarri's first major trophy as a coach. "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." Unai Emery's side had to win here to qualify, yet they were not good enough on a bizarre night.
Chelsea better side: Emery
"We tried and we worked but Chelsea were better than us and congratulations to them," Emery said. Chelsea will remember their evening with fondness, as will Sarri, who 24 hours earlier had stolen the headlines when he angrily stormed off the pitch here during a training session in front of the television cameras. "Sarri is a great guy, a great coach and he deserves this," said David Luiz of his coach.
Two
Chelsea's Eden Hazard is the first player to score a brace in the final of a UEFA competition for an English club since Mark Hughes for Man United against Barcelona in 1991
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