Kai Havertz scores but Bayer Leverkusen’s season ends in defeat to Inter Milan

An eventful 90 minutes at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, one of the several neutral sites selected for the tournament-style conclusion for this season’s pandemic-delayed Europa League, saw Inter Milan eliminate Bayer Leverkusen and advance to next Monday’s semifinal, where they will face the winner of Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Basel.

Conte’s Inter got an absolute powerhouse of a performance from former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku (31 goals on the season!) as well as former Chelsea transfer target Nicolò Barella in midfield, while Chelsea loanee Victor Moses also put in a solid shift as a second-half substitute at right wing-back. Lukaku could’ve had a hat-trick were it not for two penalties overturned by VAR — VAR was certainly busy, but overall, the proper application of the system (including the use of the pitch-side monitor) resulted in all the right calls getting made!

But all our eyes were focused on Leverkusen’s right wing of course, where a certain Kai Havertz was operating, and operating very well at times, including for this well-taken goal (there was a hint of offside about it but it was given on review).

In the end, Inter had far too much quality for the fifth-placed team in the Bundesliga.

And so now, the Havertz games can truly begin. Leverkusen had made it clear that no transfer will take place while they’re still alive in the Europa League. If Chelsea can (or want to) pony up the cash, we should start seeing some progress.