Buildup to the Europa League final: How Arsenal and Chelsea got to Baku

Arsenal & Chelsea will end their seasons when they face off in the Europa League final on Wednesday, so in the buildup to the final, the Top Flight is taking a look back at how each team got to this stage:

It’s been a lengthy Europa League campaign for the 2 biggest clubs from London: Arsenal and t. The 2 giants have plowed their way through the group stages and knockout stages from September till now, just to have a shot at lifting the Europa League, despite both nearly slipping up at different stages:

Group Stages:

Both Arsenal and Chelsea cruised through the group stages of the Europa League this season, with neither side losing any of their 6 matches, and both finishing with an identical record of 5 wins and 1 draw. Arsenal’s group was made up of Sporting CP, Vorskla Poltava, and Qarabag, while Chelsea’s featured BATE Borisov, PAOK, and Vidi.

Arsenal finished the group stages with a goal differential of +10, only conceding twice in the 6 matches. Chelsea were right on their tails at +9.

Round of 32 and Round of 16:

While both Arsenal and Chelsea were handed relatively straight-forward ties for the round of 32, neither won it particularly convincingly. Arsenal, who are a perennially poor away side, lost 1-0 away to BATE Borisov in the first leg of the round of 32, before turning the tie around at home with a 3-0 win. This first-leg slip up became a recurring theme for Arsenal throughout these knockout stages.

Chelsea weren’t exactly comfortable in their first leg against Malmo either, but grinded out a 2-1 win which they would later turn into a comfortable 5-1 victory on aggregate.

In the round of 16, both sides faced more difficult tests, but still were expected to advance quite comfortably. Once again, the Gunners shot themselves in the foot in the opening leg against Rennes, after Sokratis earned himself a needless red card, which allowed Rennes to rip Arsenal apart on the counter and win the match 3-1.

Many expected the Gunners to be knocked out, as that’s a difficult scoreline to overcome, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang inspired a brilliant 2nd leg comeback, as Arsenal once again overturned their first leg woes with a 3-0 victory at home.

Chelsea faced Dynamo Kiev and faced no trouble whatsoever, winning the tie 8-0 on aggregate, with Callum Hudson-Odoi being the standout player across the 2 ties, and probably throughout Chelsea’s entire Europa League campaign. The youngster missing out on the final is cruel.

Quarter-Final:

While Chelsea faced a relatively straight-forward tie against Slavia Praha in the quarter-finals, Arsenal were faced with a monumental test, as they were drawn against Napoli, a side many deem to be better than the Gunners.

While Arsenal weren’t the favourites heading in, they completely outclassed the Italian side throughout the 180 minutes. In the first leg, which was at the Emirates, Arsenal completely shut out Napoli and made a fool out of them on many occasions, as Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring beautifully, before Koulibaly’s own-goal gave the Gunners a comfortable cushion that they wouldn’t give up. Alexandre Lacazette’s wonderful free-kick in the 2nd leg ensured that Arsenal won the tie 3-0.

Chelsea’s tie against Slavia Praha was supposed to be straight-forward, but ended up being anything but. After a plain 1-0 win in the first leg, Stamford Bridge was treated to an enthralling 2nd leg, as Slavia Praha brought the heat, scoring 3 away goals, with 2 of them coming in the span of just 3 minutes. Chelsea managed to score 4 on the night however, which took them through to the semi-finals with a 5-3 aggregate victory.

Semi-Finals:

Both sides were faced with challenging semi-final matchups. The Gunners went up against a red-hot Valencia side, while Chelsea faced an electric Frankfurt team that was turning heads throughout the season.

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The Blues’ tie went right down to the wire, as they failed to win either match in the allotted time, drawing both 1-1. This sent the 2nd leg into extra time, where Chelsea were extremely lucky to escape without a loss. The electric Luka Jovic was a handful for Maurizio Sarri’s side, but Kepa Arrizabalaga’s heroics in the penalty shootout allowed the Blues to advance.

Arsenal once again outplayed their opponent despite not being expected to. Despite conceding the opening goal in the first leg, the Gunners crawled back to victory, winning 3-1 at the Emirates. In the 2nd leg, Arsenal weren’t expected to win due to their poor away record, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continued his ridiculously impressive form in front of goal, scoring a sublime hat-trick to send the Gunners to Baku, with a thrilling 7-3 aggregate victory.