Even as Arsenal away days have gone this season, the trip to Baku will go down as a particularly miserable affair.

UEFA faced heavy criticism for their decision to stage the Europa League final in the Azerbaijan capital - and rightly so.

There were swathes of empty seats, no atmosphere, and several metres between the fans and the pitch.

Both clubs returned around half of their 6,000 allocations and those who did make the trip deserve enormous credit.

Chelsea fans were at least rewarded for their dedication by seeing their team lift a European trophy in the flesh.

As for Arsenal, what should have been the highlight of an altogether disappointing campaign turned into an utter disaster.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was unable to play due to safety concerns arising from the tense political situation between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

It's impossible to speculate if the midfielder would have made a difference but in his absence, the Gunners were toothless in attack.

Mesut Ozil created just one chance and at the other end, his team-mates were shambolic.

In short, the few thousand Arsenal fans who forked out thousands of pounds to attend the game will be regretting it, especially after they faced further complications on the way home.

As reported in the Daily Mail, some supporters complained of up to four-hour delays to their flights after planes ran out of fuel on the return to Luton.

Arsenal fan @HOBBO71 wrote on Twitter:

"So you spend a grand to travel with Arsenal on a chartered flight. No info, no announcements, four-hour delays on a chartered flight. @Arsenal @thomascooksport absolute f****** shambles."

Bear in mind that many fans had paid as much as £979 in travel costs alone and the experience must have further rubbed salt in the wounds.

Tottenham and Liverpool fans are also facing difficulties as they head to Madrid for the Champions League final, with many complaining they still haven't been told their flight times just two days before kick-off.

Following your team in Europe really should never be this much of a nightmare.

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