Chelsea win Europa League

BAKU, Azerbaijan: 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.

The match 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. Granit Xhaka saw his powerful strike from 25 yards graze the crossbar as the half-hour approached. Only after that did Chelsea stir, but Petr Cech blocked Emerson Palmieri’s shot and denied Giroud at the end of a fine move.

However, as the clock ticked past midnight after a goalless first half, Chelsea went ahead when Giroud stole in front of Laurent Koscielny and stooped to head home Emerson’s cross. It was his 11th goal in this season’s competition, and there was to be no comeback from Arsenal, with Chelsea quickly putting this final beyond their opponents’ reach as Hazard took over.

He set up Pedro for a clipped finish beyond Cech and into the far corner on the hour mark, and five minutes later Hazard calmly rolled in a penalty awarded after Ainsley Maitland-Niles barged into Giroud. Substitute Iwobi’s sublime volleyed reply followed, but Arsenal had left themselves with too much to do, and Giroud and Hazard combined brilliantly for the latter to get his second and Chelsea’s fourth in the 72nd minute.