Arsene Wenger has hit out at Arsenal's dire Europa League final and branded it a "sad night".
The Gunners suffered a demoralising 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in Baku - with Olivier Giroud, Pedro and an Eden Hazard brace downing the north London side.
A victory would have given Arsenal their first European crown for over 20 years and place them in next season's Champions League, having finished fifth in the Premier League.
But the defeat condemned the Gunners to another season in the lesser tournament, and while Wenger was not in Azerbaijan he has delivered his verdict on the match.
"I felt that in the first half we did quite alright but as soon as Chelsea scored the first goal we collapsed completely," Wenger told beIN Sports . "In the second half we didn’t exist. It was a sad night for us.
"After that, I agree that until the quarter-final in the Europa League you play with a reserve team when you play in England because the Premier League is so demanding.
"I would say even in the Champions League group stage, when you have a difficult game over the weekend, sometimes even in the group stage because you’re close to qualifying.
"The Premier League is so difficult that until the quarter-final the teams play with [players] who do not play in the Premier League.
"I think in recent years it’s always the team who got knocked out in the Champions League group stage who won many, many years in the Europa League."
