Europa League Final 2019 – Chelsea vs Arsenal result: Maurizio Sarri silences critics as Gunners fall short

Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal: Five things we learned from the Europa League final in Baku

1. Sarri silences critics

All the people calling for Maurizio Sarri to be sacked as Chelsea manager during the season may be going a little quiet now. For all the hope that the sceptics had that he would return to Italy and manage Juventus to pave the way for someone like Frank Lampard to come in, there must now be little chance of him leaving.

In his first season as Chelsea manager, first season in the England for that matter, what Sarri has achieved is little short of exceptional. He guided Chelsea to a top-four finish in a fiercely competitive field and won a European trophy.

Things have not gone his way in the 12 months he’s been at Stamford Bridge, granted. Different things have continued to stand in his way, whether it is unrealistic supporters, difficult players or unwanted interference. If Chelsea can rally behind their brilliant boss next season, give him the right resources and actually put a bit of faith in him, then there is a good chance the progression of his side can become something quite eye-catching.

2. Where next for Arsenal?

Now what? It’s a third successive season without Champions League football and the additional revenue and attraction it brings to the club.

Driving Arsenal to a Champions League final was most likely to have been high on the list of Unai Emery’s targets at the start of the season and he has fallen short. So where do they go from here?

The chances are there will be little finger pointing going on given the absence of authority further up the hierarchy, and besides, there’s nobody really to be pointing the finger at. Emery will be under pressure next season to make sure that this worrying trend of playing in the secondary competition is just that and nothing more serious. The gap between them and the top four will only rise with each season they are out of the Champions League, Arsenal cannot afford for this to add up.

3. Giroud makes a statement as Hazard bows out

It may be his final game in a Chelsea shirt, his closing goal and his last trophy, but it has been some ride, Eden Hazard.

Eden Hazard ran the show (AFP/Getty Images) (AFP/Getty)

In what many will expect to be his last game in blue, Hazard ran the show, delighted the viewers and reminded everyone why Real Madrid are so desperate to bring him to the Bernabeu this summer. He made things happen from very little in ways which the other players on the pitch could only dream of doing.

While watching a likely departing player play so well may not be great fun, Chelsea can take some joy in Giroud’s performance. His display was that of someone that is determined to lead the line for Chelsea next season.

He will be joined at Stamford Bridge by the returning Michy Batshuayi and Tammy Abraham, who will provide fierce competition for what is likely to be just one place.

4. Kante risk pays off

Sarri admitted he should have rested N’Golo Kante and made a mistake by playing him against Watford in early May, a game where the Chelsea midfielder suffered a hamstring injury.

Fast forward several weeks and it seems that Sarri has made the same gamble. Kante had a “50-50” chance of playing in the final, according to the manager, but started despite the Sarri admitting he did not truly know how fit he was.

Kante took a while to get going (AP)

Kante’s warm-up ahead of the game can be described as tentative at best. Barely a ball was kicked by the midfielder in the minutes before Chelsea’s biggest game of the season, but he was part of a midfield that completely dominated proceedings.

Now, give him the summer off that he deserves!

4. Should VAR have been used?

Should Arsenal have had a penalty in the first half? Possibly. Should the referee have looked at the VAR screen after Alexandre Lacazette appeared to be brought down by Kepa Arrizabalaga? Again, possibly.

Italian Gianluca Rocchi instead waved play on and did not flinch at the idea of calling on technology to help him make a decision, and he was right.

He was placed to make a decision and stuck to his guns despite the impact awarding a penalty would have had on proceedings so early in the game, and it would have been easy to award Arsenal a spot-kick. If you look at the foul forensically, Kepa did make the faintest touch on Lacazette after the Frenchman touched the ball past him, but was it enough to warrant a penalty? In a similar way to how PSG were dumped out of the Champions League because of the smallest detail, this would have been unreasonable to refer to VAR because laws and the game was not written to be interpreted in such fine details.

5. Cech leaves on a high

While he would have loved to end the night with another trophy to his impressive collection, there was still much for Petr Cech to be proud of.

The veteran goalkeeper justified his selection over first-choice Bernd Leno by producing two very decent low saves.