Chelsea denied Arsenal a route into the UCL with a convincing Europa League final victory

Cech, Chelsea’s keeper in their 2013 success, appeared a picture of calm at the other end.

The 37-year-old parried an Emerson Palmieri shot and then brilliantly clawed away Giroud’s angled effort.

He could do little to stop the striker a second time, however, with World Cup winner Giroud stooping to nod in Emerson’s cross from the left.

Arsenal’s encouraging start had fallen apart and Hazard teed up Pedro to slide in Chelsea’s second with an hour played, before Ainsley Maitland-Niles bundled into Giroud’s back.

Chelsea’s talismanic Belgian made no mistake from the resultant spot-kick, although substitute Iwobi momentarily give Unai Emery’s men a glimmer of hope courtesy of a thunderous volley.

But the ex-Sevilla coach’s bid for a fourth Europa League crown was shattered within three minutes, Hazard capping off a classy combination with the tournament’s top scorer Giroud to completing the humiliation.