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.
Victory gave Blues boss Maurizio Sarri the first trophy of his managerial career and ensured the Gunners will miss out on next season’s Champions League.
This match started at 11pm local time on Wednesday in Azerbaijan, but it was Thursday by the time it came to life with a flood of second-half goals started by Olivier Giroud’s 49th-minute opener against his old club.
Cech, also facing his old side and playing the final match of his career, could do nothing about Chelsea’s second goal either, with Pedro sweeping home a Hazard cross.
Hazard made it 3-0 from the penalty spot soon after, sending Cech the wrong way after Ainsley Maitland-Niles fouled Giroud.
Substitute Alex Iwobi briefly gave Arsenal hope with a powerful first-time strike moments after coming on.
But Hazard quickly made sure of victory, playing a one-two with Giroud and firing home Chelsea’s fourth goal.
The Belgian is widely expected to leave Chelsea for Real Madrid after seven years in England, and this was the perfect way for him to bow out.
“I think it is a goodbye, but in football you never know,” the 28 year-old told BT Sport. “My dream was to play in the Premier League and I have done that for one of the biggest clubs so maybe now it is the time for a new challenge.”
Will it also be goodbye to Maurizio Sarri? A first title in management, coupled with a third-place finish in the Premier League, will reinforce the Italian’s belief that his season has been a success.
Perhaps those Chelsea fans who turned against him might now find themselves wheeling round and hoping that he resists the allure of Juventus.
Chelsea’s triumph brought them their fifth European title and their first since they won the Europa League in Amsterdam in 2013.
They will be back in the Champions League next season, but there will be no return to Europe’s top table for Arsenal. Unai Emery’s side had to win here to qualify, yet they were just not good enough on a bizarre night.
With defeat comes a cloud of doubt and concern that the gap between Emery’s side and Europe’s premier competition may only grow bigger.
At the end, even Maurizio Sarri’s superstitions went out of the window. The Italian normally refuses to step on to the playing surface, though he could not contain himself at the final whistle. Sprinting forward on to the turf, arms raised in triumph, Chelsea’s head coach celebrated the first major trophy of a career that has spanned two decades.
