Chelsea vs Frankfurt: Kepa Arrizabalaga the hero as Blues win on penalties to reach Europa League final
Re-live all the action from Stamford Bridge
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Chelsea beat Frankfurt 4-3 in a penalty shootout at Stamford Bridge as the Blues reached the final of the Europa League.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek put Chelsea 2-1 in front on aggregate with a well-taken goal after half an hour tonight, only for Jovic to reply just before the hour to make it 2-2 on aggregate.
The match went to penalties, where Kepa saved twice in the shootout and Eden Hazard hit the winner.
Please allow a moment for the blog to load.
Welcome along to our live coverage of tonight's Europa League games, where Arsenal and Chelsea look to lock their places in the final in Baku. Arsenal lead 3-1 heading to Valencia, while Chelsea take a 1-1 draw to Stamford Bridge against Frankfurt. Callum will be here shortly with all the build-up and team news, but in the meantime here's the latest from our man in Spain tonight, Luke Brown:
After two incredible nights of Champions League football, attention turns towards the Europa League this evening. Arsenal, who take a 3-1 lead to the Mestalla, will be hopeful of replicating their north London rivals Tottenham in reaching a European final. Unai Emery returns to his former club with his side enduring a dismal run of form domestically: the Gunners have taken just one point from their last four in the Premier League and continue to look vulnerable away from home.
Arsenal, though, will look to their 1-0 victory at Napoli last month as a marker for tonight's game. That was a disciplined, controlled performance, and they will need to replicate that against Valencia.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are in control of their semi-final having returned from Germany with a 1-1 draw last week. Maurizio Sarri's side are strong favourites to progress to the final in Baku, particularly after Frankfurt's heavy 6-1 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend.
Changes
Arsenal make three changes from the team that drew with Brighton on Sunday. Petr Cech, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Laurent Koscielny replace Stephan Lichtsteiner, Shkodran Mustafi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
For Valencia, who trashed Huesca 6-2 last weekend, former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin is back after suspension, while Kevin Gameiro and Daniel Wass also return to the starting XI.
Changes
Maurizio Sarri makes four changes, bringing Olivier Giroud, Willian, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Emerson Palmeri into his side in place of Gonzalo Higuain, Pedro and Marcos Alonso.
Frankfurt, meanwhile, bring back Ante Rebic, who missed the first leg through suspension. Chelsea will need to be alert in defence to deal with the threat of Rebic and compatriot Luka Jovic, the Bundesliga side's top scorer this season with 26 goals.
Chelsea are already familiar with Jovic after last week's first leg. His finish at the Commerzbank-Arena was an example of what he can do given time and space:
Arsenal, first and foremost, will need to handle the occasion tonight. Valencia's fans are up for this.
Here's what Unai Emery has had to say in the buildup to tonight's semi-final:
Our idea is to play the match to win. And if you want to win, you need to score. [Valencia] are a very aggressive team and well structured defensively — but they need to score. So our idea is to do both and take our chances.
I first competed for this title here at Valencia when it was still the Uefa cup and was a lesser title than I think it is now. It has grown. It’s an important title for all those teams that are not in the Champions league – and for some who drop into it as a second chance, like Valencia this season.
It’s a title they all want to win. Giving teams a Champions League place through the Europa league is a fair reward. I have seen that shift. It’s an attractive title and it’s getting more attractive: now we have seen Manchester United, Atlético and Sevilla win.
The demands are high and everyone wants it, as a title, not just a way in [to the Champions League]. At any club like Arsenal or Valencia, titles have to be objectives [in themselves].
Arsenal only have two European titles in their history: the old Fairs cup and the cup winners cup, neither of which now exist, so I have a lot of ambition to win a title.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments