Chelsea’s hopes of retaining the WSL title for a seventh straight year are hanging by a thread after a clinical second-half Arsenal showing saw them beaten 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
After their 34-game unbeaten league run was ended by Everton last month, Chelsea’s second defeat in four games gives Manchester City the chance to move nine points clear with as many games remaining when they visit London City Lionesses on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Despite facing an increasingly uphill task, Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor refused to throw in the towel on her side’s title chances.
“If City win tomorrow it becomes more difficult, a nine-point gap would be a big gap,” she said. “My mentality is to keep working hard, to give everything we can.
“The gap is big but nothing is impossible, we need to focus on what we can control to put as much pressure as we can on Man City but also protect our second place. It will be tough until the end, we have nine games left but that’s the job we need to do.”
Arsenal were well worth their first win at Chelsea in eight years with the hosts rarely close to their best until the second-half introduction of Lauren James. Despite forcing seven corners and finding plenty of room on the flanks, they managed only a single shot on target in a first period where both sides’ final ball was found wanting.
Had Arsenal’s been better, the Gunners could have led inside 90 seconds when a Katie McCabe shot was palmed out to Stina Blackstenius, whose hesitancy may have cost her an opener before her eventual effort was deflected wide.
Something had to change in a game where a point suited neither side and it did so nine minutes after the interval when an Arsenal overload allowed Mead space to power an angled drive beyond England team-mate Hannah Hampton for a well-worked opener.
The Gunners’ own WSL title hopes may be all-but over but they made sure of moving within a point of the second-placed Blues on the hour, establishing a two-goal cushion when Mariona Caldentey placed a finish from the edge of the box which left Hampton unmoved.
Beth Mead netted the opener for Arsenal nine minutes after half-time
Erin Cuthbert should have halved the deficit with 15 minutes to go but aimed a free header from James’ cross wide of Anneke Barbe’s unguarded post. Although the hosts continued to push for a comeback with time running out, their finishing touch still evaded them – and the defeat may have seen them finally kiss goodbye to the WSL trophy.
‘The real winner at Stamford Bridge? Manchester City’
Sky Sports’ Ron Walker at Stamford Bridge:
“Take nothing away from Arsenal who were good value for their victory at Stamford Bridge. But the real winner of their visit was Manchester City, who will have one hand on the WSL trophy should they beat London City Lionesses as expected on Sunday.
“Andree Jeglertz’s side have been a juggernaut this season but Chelsea can have only themselves to look at with a number of unforced errors to blame as they fell what could be three wins off the top.
“Losing to Everton rang more alarm bells as Arsenal are no mugs, but Chelsea looked off it for large periods of the game. It is not often you see an opposition side want it more but that was the most damning indictment you could make against the Blues and perhaps more concerning than the result itself.”
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Mariona Caldentey scores in the 60th minute to make it two for Arsenal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Slegers: We had particular clarity going into game
Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers:
“When the moment is there for this team, when it really has to happen they do it every single time. There’s a lot of strength in this team.
“One of our strengths today was going into the game with a lot of clarity, they kept it going with clear minds to help them make good decisions and focus on the task.
“It’s what I love about the performance, we were willing to suffer from start to finish. We did that, we’re two teams who like to come out fast.
“We came out really strong today, it was about controlling the tempo and managing the game especially in the second half with their substitutes and when they changed their formation.”
Bompastor refuses to blame players for defeat
Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor:
“In every game we have a game plan, most of the time it stays on our game model and sometimes there are some specific things. Defensively we left too many spaces for them, they were too comfortable on the ball and we were not aggressive enough.
“Those were two things we had in the game plan and we didn’t execute well enough, but it’s my responsibility to make sure the players have clarity. It’s not on the players, it’s on myself.”
