BAKU (AFP) - Chelsea thrashed Arsenal 4-1 in an all-English final in the Europa League on Wednesday (May 29).
Here AFP Sport looks at three things we learnt from the showpiece at Baku's Olympic Stadium:
1. Giroud makes most of European chance
Olivier Giroud has found opportunities difficult to come by in the Premier League following his January 2018 move from Arsenal, but the France striker again proved his worth in Chelsea's Europa League triumph as he finished the competition's top scorer with 11 goals, one above highly-rated Eintracht Frankfurt sharpshooter Luka Jovic.
Giroud has made just 13 league starts in 18 months at Stamford Bridge, scoring only twice in the top flight this season. He recently admitted his frustration at his bit-part role, but his displays on the continent have convinced the club's hierarchy to extend his deal for another season.
The former Gunners forward came back to haunt to his old side with a superb glancing header for the opening goal in Baku, and he also won a penalty that led to Chelsea's third goal and then teed up Eden Hazard to complete the rout.
2. Late season flourish boosts Sarri
Maurizio Sarri's future as Chelsea boss appeared bleak after goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted during February's League Cup final defeat by Manchester City on penalties.
Â
Â
Already battling to avoid the sack, the Wembley mutiny further undermined the Italian's standing and left him apoplectic.
Yet Sarri, who has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus, oversaw a notable upturn in fortunes from that point forth, leading the Blues to a third-place finish in the league and a second Europa League crown in seven years.
Sarri had stolen the headlines 24 earlier when he angrily stormed off the pitch during a training session, but winning the final - his first title as a manager - transformed what he already claimed to be a "very good season" into a "wonderful" one.
3. Questions persist over Emery Unai
Emery's Europa League magic ran out in Baku, as he finished on the losing side for the first time in four finals.
A promising first 30 minutes from Arsenal quickly faded into a distant memory as Chelsea blew the Gunners away with a merciless second-half blitz that underlined the magnitude of the task Emery faces as the successor to Arsene Wenger.
In a time of transition, the Basque coach has done a steady if unspectacular job, but doubts remain over his ability to lead Arsenal back to past heights after they missed out on Champions League revenue for the third year in a row.
Emery urges fired-up Gunners to keep cool heads LONDON • Unai Emery has called on his players to "control their emotions" with Arsenal staring at a Europa League exit at the last-16 stage unless they can overturn a 3-1 deficit against Rennes in the second leg today.
The Straits Times - Breaking News, Lifestyle & Multimedia News
LONDON (REUTERS) - Tottenham Hotspur gained a slender advantage in their League Cup semi-final against London rivals Chelsea as Harry Kane's penalty earned them a 1-0 win in the first leg at
Kane's VAR penalty gives Tottenham edge over Chelsea
March 4 - FIFA president Gianni Infantino has hinted at a potential joint Korean bid for the 2023 Women's World Cup. Australia, Japan, South Africa and New Zealand have already expressed their interest in hosting the tournament. The FIFA boss was talking on the sidelines of a meeting of the
North and South Korea joint Women's World Cup bid would be
Chelsea face the partial closure of Stamford Bridge in the Europa League after Uefa opened disciplinary proceedings over allegations that their travelling supporters engaged in racist chanting during the draw at Vidi last month.
Chelsea face partial stadium closure over alleged racist
Refreshed Croatia win with attack-focused play ZAGREB • Like Germany's Joachim Low, Zlatko Dalic has also opted to rebuild his squad following last year's World Cup and the Croatia coach was delighted with his new-look team on Thursday.
The Straits Times - Breaking News, Lifestyle & Multimedia News
Magnificent Mane and Milner mask Salah's dry spell as Liverpool go top again. It gave Liverpool a victory they looked to have thrown away, and sent Jurgen Klopp's men back to the top of
Klopp keeping it in perspective after breakdown vs. Arsenal
Spurs beaten for first time in new stadium; Saints stay up by Michail Antonio ensured West Ham United became the first visiting team to win at Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium as Mauricio
Manchester City could be hit with a transfer ban - report A transfer ban for the Premier League champions would come less than a month after Chelsea were hit with the same sanction.
Man City could get transfer ban: report - theworldnews.net
PAUL POGBA has sent a message of support Moise Kean's way following the sickening racial abuse the forward received during Juventus' match against Cagliari on Tuesday night.
Cher is back on the charts with 'Woman's World' | Crime News
CAM NEWTON CRYING ABOUT UNFAIR TREATMENT FROM NFL OFFICIALS 78SPORTSTV. NFL QB Jared Goff Pranks Unsuspecting College Football Team - Duration: 6 Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM 1,015,234
Local reaction to controversial NFL demonstrations mixed
Jun 04, 2019 · The Netherlands head into this week's Nations League semi-finals with one of the best young squads the country has produced in recent years and Dutch football can once again look forward to a
Coach Koeman sees 'great future' for Dutch national team
Sao Paulo (AFP) - Pele remains under "observation" in a Brazilian hospital, his doctors said Thursday, describing the three-time World Cup winner as "clinically stable". The latest update on the Brazilian football great's health comes a day after the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo said he would need an operation to remove a
Pele remains under 'observation' in Brazil hospital: doctors
0 comments:
Post a Comment