BAKU (Reuters) - Chelsea hammered their London rivals Arsenal 4-1 to win the Europa League thanks to two goals from Eden Hazard, probably making his last appearance for the Blues, and one apiece for Olivier Giroud and Pedro. With Arsenal on the ropes, defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles collided with Giroud to concede a penalty that Hazard stroked home after 65 minutes. Alex Iwobi clawed a goal back for Arsenal but Chelsea restored their three-goal cushion in the 72nd minute when Hazard swapped passes with Giroud to score his second. The win means Chelsea have won three European titles in seven years, with the Champions League triumph in 2012 followed by their first Europa League victory in 2013. "My dream was to play in the Premier League and I did it for seven years," Hazard, who joined Chelsea in 2012, told a television reporter shortly after the final whistle.

Source: The Star May 29, 2019 21:07 UTC