Chelsea claimed a significant victory to increase pressure on Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall as his side fell further behind in the Women's Super League title race.
Mayra Ramirez's inventive overhead kick bounced into the bottom corner within four minutes to give Chelsea the perfect start, and matters got worse for the Gunners when Sandy Baltimore was given a free header to make it 2-0 shortly afterwards.
Arsenal boss Eidevall needed a response from his players and got one as Caitlin Foord danced around Lucy Bronze to fire the ball past goalkeeper Hannah Hampton just before half-time at Emirates Stadium.
But they could not find a much-needed second - despite substitute Stina Blackstenius volleying against the underside of the crossbar with minutes to go - as Chelsea showed grit to hold out and added salt to Arsenal's wounds following a disappointing week.
A goalless draw with Everton and a thumping defeat by Bayern Munich meant it was a crucial match for Arsenal - and this was a damaging result.
Chelsea, meanwhile, still appear to have teething problems under new manager Sonia Bompastor but maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
They were confronted for most of the second half, with defenders Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan making numerous blocks as Arsenal's Foord and Alessia Russo came close, and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton had to make some big saves late on.
At the other end, Chelsea's Ramirez remained a threat until her substitution midway through the second half, having picked up an earlier knock.
It was a significant victory for Chelsea though, putting them just ahead of title rivals Manchester City - who play Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday - while Arsenal fall four points behind.
Comments
Post a Comment