Chelsea, currently 3rd place in the English Premier League, will face Arsenal, currently, 5th place in the EPL table, in an all-English final after both London sides passed their semi-final opponents on Thursday evening.
A few hours after Tottenham set up a dramatic all-English UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool, Arsenal luxuriously defeated Valencia in the Mestalla Stadium, while Chelsea had an exceptionally tense game against Eintracht Frankfurt, which luckily ended 4-3 on penalties at Stamford Bridge.
It is the first time in history that all four finalists for both the Champions League and Europa League came from one country. In this blog post, let us dive into each of the Europa League's finalist's strenuous semi-final journey!
PENALTY DRAMA: Chelsea's Journey
Game Highlights - 2nd Leg:
After a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Commerzbank-Arena, the Blues struck first at Stamford Bridge as Ruben Loftus-Cheek tucked in a neat goal, very close to the right post, after 28 minutes.
The visiting side responded viciously after Luka Jovic, one of the most gifted and experienced strikers in Europe, received a through-pass and slotted the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Eintracht Frankfurt and Chelsea had spectacular opportunities in the additional 30 minutes of extra time, yet David Luiz's magnificent save on the line refused Sebastien Haller from scoring the decisive goal. For Chelsea, captain Cesar Azpilicueta's effort against the opponent's goalkeeper was seen as a foul from the referee's point of view.
After the extension time and the scores leveled 2-2 on aggregate, all there was left was the penalties. Kepa Arrizabalaga made the consequential difference in the penalty shoot-out after saving two kicks, and Eden Hazard firing home the winner for Chelsea FC.
Own Opinions / Comments / Improvements - 2nd Leg:
As a Chelsea fan myself, it was very frustrating that the Blues drew the first leg in Germany. Yet, the disappointment developed even more while watching the second leg. It was manifest that Chelsea was the transcendent side during the first half with greater possession, comfortable passing and accurately timed direction transitions (playing on the left side and promptly turning away to the right side). Nevertheless, I fully believe that Chelsea's central blunder was taking little care when high-priced chances arrived. For instance, in the 7th minute of the first half, Hazard played a ball into Emerson on the left-wing side, and at that time Emerson had no defender pressuring meaning that he had loads of time. Rather, Emerson rushed by crossing the ball into the box immediately without realizing that Giroud and Willian were outside the zone. An alike chance like this was blown away in the 60th minute by Cesar Azpilicueta as well.
Another instance, in the 16th minute of the first half, there was an excellent chance when Willian accurately struck the ball into the box from the right wing-side, yet Olivier Giroud put forward little attention to his touch, which led to the end of the counter-attack. Moreover, in the 56th minute, David Luiz played a long ball to Willian, who was able to take the ideal first touch. Yet, after the touch, Willian tried passing it across to Giroud, yet was straight to Trapp, Frankfurt's goalkeeper, ending Willian's chance with a very ineffective shot. Ultimately, in the 92nd minute, Ross Barkley blew away a 3-on-2 chance, after haphazardly attempting a late pass to Pedro.
Alongside, the fumbled opportunities, I thought that there were a few significant problems in the defensive line. Generally, the strikers and midfielders did a great job putting on the pressure throughout the game, yet at some points, it looked as if the defenders had no idea who they were marking. For example, in the 13th minute, a magnificent cross flew towards Da Costa (#24), yet all four defenders were clustered in one area, leading to Da Costa getting a shot on target. A similar situation occurred in the 91st minute due to Emerson not being conscious of where Da Costa was positioned. The exact same error was repeated in the 105th minute as Emerson left Sebastian Haller alone, which almost led to a goal that would've dropped Chelsea FC in the semi-finals.
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy: Arsenal's Journey
Game Highlights - 2nd Leg:
Leading 3-1 from the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal came from behind to win 4-2 on the night and 7-3 on aggregate score.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Gabonian striker, showed his extensive capability by scoring a hat-trick and Alexandre Lacazette added to the sensation with his additional goal late in the game. The victory for Arsenal was sweet for Unai Emery, the Arsenal head coach and former coach of Valencia, who is aiming to win the Europa League for the fourth time in his coaching career.
Following a very challenging 15 minutes in the first half, in which Valencia took the lead thanks to Kevin Gameiro, the Gunners bashed back through Aubameyang's impeccable finish. The equalizing goal knocked down Valencia's self-esteem and positive mindset making it very comfortable for Lacazette to find the second goal for Arsenal. Nonetheless, the home side replied with another witty goal from Gameiro adding extreme suspense to the Europa League semi-finals. Yet, the aspirations of reaching the finals for Valencia perished as Aubameyang securely grabbed his second and third goal for Arsenal. The hat-trick was completed for the Gabon legend with two minutes remaining, sending Arsenal conveniently into the final round.
Own Opinions / Comments / Improvements - 2nd Leg:
In my opinion, the counter attacks from both sides made the principal difference to the game. The first consequential counter-attack came in the 10th minute for Valencia. As soon as the corner chance ended for Arsenal, the midfield line was able to move straight away and tuck in a neat pass to the side, which eventually ended with a well-built goal. The same successful counter-attack momentum was evident in the 38th minute when Aubameyang received the ball from Mustafi and calmly dribbled it along the sideline. As Aubameyang spotted Lacazette inside the box, the pass was delivered and the French striker almost scored. Yet, the goal for Lacazette did come because of another prosperous counter-attack in the 49 minute, when Lucas Torreira, the Uruguayan midfielder, smartly made an accurate pass instead of shooting. It is quite clear that Torreira had room for a shot, yet that instantaneous judgment gifted Arsenal another cherished goal.
At the end of the day, it is imperative to congratulate both teams for their arduous determination and efforts put into the tense Europa League tournament. As a Chelsea fan, I will obviously be rooting for Chelsea, but good luck to Arsenal as well!
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