LONDON: “I will miss you,” Arsene Wenger told the Arsenal fans after being given a fitting farewell in his final home game in charge after 22 years with a 5-0 thrashing of Burnley on Sunday.
On a day dominated by tributes to the Frenchman, both teams formed a guard of honour for Wenger, 68, before kick-off to a chorus of “there’s only one Arsene Wenger”.All around a full house of 60,000 at the Emirates — in stark contrast to recent league games when fans have stayed away in protest at a poor season — fans sported red t-shirts emblazoned with “Merci Arsene” (Thank you Arsene).
“Thank you for having me for such a long time. I know that’s not easy but, above all, I am like you, I am an Arsenal fan,” Wenger said at the post-match presentation on the Emirates turf.“I would like to finish by one simple word: I will miss you. Thank you all for being such an important part of my life.”
Wenger won three Premier Leagues and a record seven FA Cups. His crowning glory coming in the 2003/04 season when Arsenal won the league without losing a single game.He was presented with the special gold trophy given to the club for that achievement after the match by two Arsenal legends Bob Wilson and Pat Rice, who worked on Wenger’s coaching staff for many years.
There was plenty for the supporters to shout about in a fitting finale for Wenger as Arsenal displayed the attractive brand of attacking football that characterised his most successful sides over the past two decades.
Wenger will wonder what might have been had Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang not been cup-tied for the latter stages of the Europa League as the Gabon striker took his tally to eight goals in 11 Premier League appearances since joining for a club record fee from Borussia Dortmund in January.
Aubameyang opened the scoring when he slid in to meet Alexandre Lacazette’s cross to get a party atmosphere started after just 14 minutes.Burnley have qualified for Europe for the first time in 51 years thanks to finishing seventh.
But it seemed incredible that only three points separated the sides before kick-off as Arsenal cut through the Clarets at will going forward.Lacazette stroked home Arsenal’s second just before half-time before Jack Wilshere teed up Sead Kolasinac for a third nine minutes after the break.
Aubameyang turned provider for Alex Iwobi to smash home the fourth after being given a huge amount of time inside the Burnley box to pick his spot.And Aubameyang finished as he started by steering home Hector Bellerin’s cross to round off a five-star performance by the Gunners to send Wenger off in style.
Wenger could even afford the luxury of also handing club captain Per Mertesacker an outing from the bench for the closing stages in his final home game before retiring at the end of the season.
Earlier on Sunday, Olivier Giroud boosted Chelsea’s bid to snatch a place in the Premier League’s top four as the France striker sealed a 1-0 win over Liverpool that brought the Champions League finalists back down to earth.
Giroud’s first-half header at Stamford Bridge lifted fifth-placed Chelsea to within two points of fourth-placed Tottenham in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
A fourth successive victory equalled Chelsea’s longest league winning streak this season, keeping them in the hunt for a top-four finish while denting third-placed Liverpool’s challenge for the same target.
It was a frustrating return to domestic action for Liverpool after their Champions League semi-final success against Roma in midweek.In a dramatic conclusion to the top-four battle, Chelsea, who are three points behind Liverpool, host struggling Huddersfield on Wednesday and Tottenham face Newcastle the same evening.
On the final day of the season next Sunday, Chelsea head to Newcastle and Tottenham entertain Leicester. With only one win in their last five league games, Liverpool have made their top-four status an unnecessarily tense affair.
Jurgen Klopp’s team should still be able to guarantee a Champions League berth if they beat Brighton at Anfield on Sunday.Even if they don’t finish in the top four, Liverpool can return to Europe’s elite club competition by defeating Real Madrid in the Champions League final on May 26.