Before Wednesday’s Europa League final in Dublin, Gian Piero Gasperini did what he’s been doing with Ademola Lookman all season. That was to point out to the Atalanta winger exactly where he wanted him to attack, and where he could hurt the opposition.
Lookman proceeded to do more damage to Bayer Leverkusen than any player has done to the opposition in any European final since 1975, as the Nigerian scored the first hat-trick in a showpiece in 49 years. It wasn’t just the quantity, either, but the quality. Every goal escalated in class in a different way, reaching a crescendo with that third goal that rose into the top corner.
