Given the fierce rivalries at the upper end of English football, it’s rare to see stars move between top clubs. When it does happen, it tends to have dramatic consequences.
It wasn’t a surprise, therefore, to see Olivier Giroud take his former side to the sword when lining up for Chelsea against Arsenal in the 2019 Europa League Final, scoring and assisting as the Blues ran out 4-1 winners.
Giroud had been a crowd favourite at Arsenal, scoring 73 goals in 180 appearances for the north London side across a six-year spell. Yet in the winter window of 2018, Arsenal made the curious decision to sell the targetman to cross-town rivals Chelsea. A decision which would come back to bite them.
Olivier Giroud recalls lining up against his former Arsenal team-mates in Baku
“I swapped Arsenal for Chelsea in January 2018 and, at the end of my first full season, we played my old team in the Europa League final,” Giroud tells FourFourTwo as part of an exclusive chat.
“It was a really special game for me.”
Giroud was in top form, too, inspiring the Blues to a huge victory alongside the likes of Eden Hazard, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante. The Frenchman opened the scoring in the 49th minute, as Maurizio Sarri’s team dominated Unai Emery’s Gunners.
“I had a great game,” continues Giroud, who went on to score 17 goals in 75 Chelsea appearances. “I scored the game’s opening goal, which was a strange moment for me as I loved Arsenal.
“I didn’t really celebrate the goal out of respect but it was an incredible feeling to score in the final. I then won a penalty, which Eden Hazard converted. It was a special day because to win a first European trophy with a club meant a lot to me and especially against Arsenal, whom I love.
"It was a mix of emotions but I am very grateful to have played well in that final.”
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