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LIVE BLOG
90+3min: FULL TIME. CHELSEA WIN THE EUROPA LEAGUE!
88min: Hazard gets trod on as a souvenir. He then gets a standing ovation as he makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Zappacosta.
84min: Willock misses a good chance for Arsenal.
82min: Kepa makes a fantastic save to keep it 4-1. Play then whistled for offside anyway.
81min: Azpilicueta misses by inches. This game’s quite clearly over.
79min: Willock’s shot blocked by David Luiz at one end, Cech makes another great save at the other, denying Willian this time.
76min: Barkley on for Kovačić. Willock on for Özil for the other guys.
75min: Hazard going for the hat-trick, set up Giroud, but Cech makes an excellent save to keep him out. At the other end, Arsenal shoot high and wide.
72min: GOAL!!! HAZARD!!!! Arsenal give the ball away, Hazard gets on it, finds Giroud, who chips it back to the center for Eden, who makes no mistake for his second goal of the night! 4-1, CHELSEA!!!
70min: Chelsea win a corner as Koscielny makes a crucial interception on Kanté’s pass for Giroud. Willian’s on for Pedro in the meantime.
68min: GOAL. Arsenal. Christensen goes in the book for getting his challenge on Iwobi all wrong. Arsenal with the free kick out wide left, but only half-cleared and it’s spanked into the back of the new by Iwobi. No one’s stopping that. 3-1.
67min: Double change by Arsenal as Guendouzi and Iwobi replace Torreira and Monreal.
65min: GOAL!!! HAZARD!!! He makes no mistake. 3-0, CHELSEA!!!
64min: PENALTY! Pedro central again, delays his shot, finds Giroud, who gets run over from behind by Maitland-Niles. Rocchi points to the spot!
60min: GOAL!!! PEDRO!!! Chelsea win the ball in midfield and push through Hazard and Kovačić. He finds Hazard on the overlap, who picks Pedro out in the area and he finishes very well past Čech. 2-0, CHELSEA!!!
58min: Arsenal applying a bit of pressure, but Chelsea holding on and eventually clear as Christensen wins a foul.
55min: Pedro gets a booking for a reaction after not getting a fairly obvious call. Strange bit of refereeing, especially after he ignored Azpilicueta getting bowled over just a second prior, too.
54min: Chelsea buoyant, and continue to press, Pedro’s cross just missing Giroud at the far post, who then briefly appears to injury a groin as he slips at the edge of the playing surface, but he looks okay to carry on.
49min: GOAL!!!! GIROUD!!! Almost out of nothing, Emerson chips in a little cross, Giroud beats Koscielny to the ball, and puts a header unsaveably past Čech. 1-0, CHELSEA!!!
48min: Hazard pushes through the center, finds Giroud to his left, but his shot is deflected for a corner. Hazard gets blocked off by Monreal in the meantime, but no call’s coming.
HALF-TIME: No changes for either side. Chelsea get the game restarted.
45min: No added-on time as the half-time whistle goes. Bit of a snoozer.
41min: Corner for Chelsea and Arsenal get nowhere near clearing, but Pedro’s shot is blocked for a second corner. This one’s punched away by Čech and Chelsea play it back to halfway.
39min: Chelsea come again, Hazard and Jorginho again, this time getting a shot off, but Čech saves well on Giroud’s low effort that was looking for the bottom corner.
38min: Kovačić wins the ball in midfield with a strong header, Hazard keeps it and finds Jorginho who switches play. Chelsea push up, but Hazard is unable to control the ball inside the penalty area and the attack fizzles out.
36min: Kepa called into action again, this time punching clear a cross from the left. Hazard tries to counter but the flick doesn’t come off. Arsenal however pass the ball straight out of bounds.
34min: Hazard creates a good chance for Emerson with a nice flick, but the left back’s shot is straight at Čech.
32min: Azpilicueta with another block, Arsenal with another corner. Sokratis wins the header ahead of Christensen, but his effort is well off the mark.
30min: Arsenal give the ball away and suddenly Chelsea are in and eventually win a corner, which Hazard takes, but it comes to nothing.
28min: Arsenal turning it up. First, Azpilicueta has to clear from inside the six, then Xhaka unleashes a piledriver that just flies over the bar.
26min: Kanté finally involved, running on to a Pedro through ball and chipping in a nice cross for Giroud, who can’t get it under control. First decent half-chance for the Blues.
25min: Kepa gathers again, this time after an Arsenal free kick from the left. Chelsea not doing too hot right now. And Kanté’s been barely involved...
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23min: Long ball over the top as Azpi tracks Lacazette. Kepa comes out and claims, gets run over by his own captain for his troubles. Both players stay down briefly, but are okay to carry on.
21min: Another Arsenal corner, this time David Luiz clears with an excellent header from inside his own six.
18min: A loose ball in the Chelsea penalty area and Kepa appears to be get there second, but VAR is asleep and we carry on.
17min: Arsenal win a corner as Azpi blocks a cross from Kolasinac. Chelsea eventually clear for a throw, then Arsenal play it out of bounds themselves.
15min: Giroud wins a foul just outside the corner of the penalty area after Sokratis trods on his foot. Hazard swings the ball in, but David Luiz is whistled for pushing someone to the ground.
11min: Hazard tries to create something, combining with Giroud and Pedro but he’s crowded out. Emerson then gives the ball away and Chelsea’s brief attacking spell is over.
9min: First chance to Arsenal as they work it well on the right. Maitland-Niles crosses it in and Kepa gets his punch a bit wrong. The ball falls to Aubameyang but he misses the target from 15 yards out.
7min: David Luiz gives away a free kick near midfield, which Giroud clears for a throw. Arsenal keep the ball, but Azpilicueta defends well on the right and Chelsea push Arsenal all the way back.
4min: Arsenal’s turn to possess the ball for a bit. Hazard eventually wins it back and gets fouled. Chelsea take possession, then pass it straight out of bounds. Scintillating stuff so far!
KICK-OFF: Arsenal get us underway but Chelsea have the early possession, which ends in Čech catching a long-ball forward from David Luiz towards Pedro.
It’s Europa League final time! Eden Hazard’s final game. Maurizo Sarri’s final game? London Derby and a chance to beat Arsenal and win a trophy!
Hazard to BT Sport: "We want to be the best in London. Spurs are in the Champions League final, that's terrible. If we lose against Arsenal, it's going to be a disaster for the club, for the fans for the players. If we win a trophy it's going to be a good season." #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) May 29, 2019
Time to get hyped.
Here we go.
No surprises in the lineup and KANTÉ STARTS!
Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Arrizabalaga | Emerson, David Luiz, Christensen, Azpilicueta (c) | Kovačić, Jorginho, Kanté | Hazard, Giroud, Pedro
Substitutes from: Caballero, Alonso, Zappacosta, Cahill, Ampadu, Barkley, Willian, Higuaín, Gallagher, McEachran, Cumming
Arsenal starting lineup (3-4-1-2):
Čech | Monreal, Koscielny, Sokratis | Kolasinac, Xhaka, Torreira, Maitland-Niles | Özil | Aubameyang, Lacazette
Substitutes from: Leno, Elneny, Lichsteiner, Iwobi, Mustafi, Welbeck, Jenkinson, Guendouzi, Nketiah, Willock, Saka, Iliev
Date / Time: Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 20:00 BST; 3pm EDT; 12:30am (IST; next day); 11pm local Baku-time
Venue: Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
VAR: Yes — only for “clear and obvious errors” occurring on goals, build-up to goals, incidents in the penalty area, red cards, and cases of mistaken identity.
On TV: BT Sport 2 (UK); TNT, UniMás (USA); Sony TEN 2 (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: BT Sport Live (UK); B/R Live (USA), Univision Deportes En Vivo (USA); Sony LIV (India) — FuboTV (USA, affiliate link)
Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!