Beth Mead, Amanda Ilestedt and Alessia Russo (2) saw Arsenal to a 4-1 win in the WSL on Sunday; Johanna Rytting Kaneryd replied for a below-par Chelsea; Arsenal are joint-top of the WSL with Chelsea, although the Blues remain top on goal difference
Tuesday 12 December 2023 06:15, UK
Never ones to agree on much, Emma Hayes said Arsenal 'bullied' Chelsea, but Jonas Eidevall believed it was all down to 'high-quality football'.
Sitting firmly on the fence, they are both right.
From the start, Arsenal pressed, harangued, harried and made Chelsea extremely uncomfortable. Players were forced into playing on their weaker sides, making hasty decisions as Arsenal took advantage of those errors.
Hayes also pointed to duels as one of the key areas of Arsenal 'bullying'. Interestingly though, the stats point to a far higher percentage won by Chelsea. However, it was in those second phases where the Blues came out second best.
Eidevall added of Hayes' assessment: "I don't really believe in these 50-50 balls, if one comes out winning the ball it is not 50-50, it was 51-49 maybe... because you have a better starting position and maybe you are more intelligent than the opponent, maybe you are stronger. We turned a lot of those situations into 51-49s and that is really important."
Overall, Arsenal were quicker, more intense and had a clear game plan, qualities Eidevall says they have been working on in training. Almost every player had a perfect game - Kim Little, Lia Walti and Victoria Pelova are just three to mention.
While Hayes was also quick to point out that there were no excuses. Both teams had plenty of players away on international duty and covering long distances. As a result, neither had much time to train as a group - but this is nothing new.
Chelsea are also used to playing in front of tens of thousands of people. There's no denying the record-breaking Emirates crowd would have given Arsenal a huge boost, but not enough to overawe their experienced opponents.
The Blues boss did not blame individual errors either, but there will be some players who will feel the weight of responsibility for the result.
Alongside this, the Blues just did not have an answer for Arsenal's game plan. While they have played badly before but often come away with a result, that was ultimately never going to come off against this talented Gunners side.
It is a defeat that will sting for Hayes and Chelsea, but they have been here before.
No team can perform every week, especially when facing similarly high-quality sides. The fact that very few teams in men's or women's football have gone through an entire season unbeaten shows exactly how hard it is.
"We talk like teams don't lose football matches," Hayes said. "Are we disappointed? Of course we are. But we've not lost the title, we've not lost the final, just three points. It's disappointment not just with result, but also the performance."
It is a compliment to Chelsea that we are now dissecting their performance in such a way. Sunday's defeat was their first of the domestic season, and certainly their worst showing in some time.
But beware the wounded beast. With a Champions League and WSL match coming up over the next six days, they will want two statement wins to help settle the demons of Sunday's loss.
And since the 2021/22 campaign, Chelsea have lost to Arsenal at least once across various competitions. But a look inside their trophy cabinet will tell you how badly it impacted their seasons overall.
There is no denying the immense talent of Lauren James. But Sunday's match showed where she needs to improve. As she will likely admit herself, at the age of just 22, she is far from the finished article.
In the first half especially, James was often caught out too high up on Chelsea's attacking left, allowing Arsenal to get in time and again with the space she had left. It was then down to Niamh Charles to deal with the constantly switching Katie McCabe and Caitlin Foord - something even the best full-backs would struggle with.
Hayes attempted to counteract that with switching James onto the other flank, but it did little to spark life into Chelsea's attack.
We also saw the same petulance that James was punished for at the World Cup. She appeared to stamp on the foot of Walti, in a similar fashion to her foul on Michelle Alozie against Nigeria a few months ago.
This time, she was very lucky to not receive a red card. With no VAR in the WSL, the incident could not be reviewed, but there is little doubt that she would have been dismissed.
James must learn to keep her emotions under control, especially when the game is not going her way. Her adaptation to different conditions than what she is used to also must improve, which is where a lot of frustration is borne from.
While she is fortunate that her teams often dictate play, that will not always be the case. James is talented enough to make these changes, but must be careful these aspects do not have a detrimental impact in the meantime.
It felt like Russo needed a 'big-game performance' to really announce herself at Arsenal - and that came on Sunday.
It's pertinent to note that Russo's work-rate off the ball is superb. She draws in defenders, makes vital runs, getting in behind and isn't afraid to do the other work needed. Sometimes when you're an attacking player judged on goals and assists, that dimension can be overlooked.
Russo's run for Arsenal's third was simply brilliant. The pass from Walti was equally as impressive, but the striker showed anticipation, timing and a cool head to finish under pressure.
While the winning of the penalty was little to do with Russo and more to do with a hasty decision from Berger, it always takes bravery to take one. But she did so with cool-headed expertise, and doubled her WSL goals tally for the season in the process.
Russo is showing with every game just why Arsenal pursued her for so long. The Gunners' attack is finally matching up to the expected promise and Russo is a key part of that.
The injury absence of Chelsea defender and captain Millie Bright was telling. In their last two games either side of the international break, the Blues have let in six WSL goals. They conceded just 15 in the league overall last season.
Generally, Maren Mjelde has done well deputising alongside Jess Carter in the centre of defence. But against Arsenal, she could not keep up. Alessia Russo accelerated away from her all too easily for her first goal, with Mjelde and Eve Perisset hooked at half-time.
Their replacements - Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence - did better in the second half. They made a number of key interceptions and had a better grasp of the Arsenal attack.
But ultimately, none of them are Bright. While there were issues all over the pitch, she would have had a far bigger influence at the back and been able to organise her team-mates when they needed it most.
Her leadership too was lacking. Senior players like Ann-Katrin Berger and designated captain for the day, Sam Kerr, both struggled individually. Whether that was a distraction, we just don't know, but Chelsea needed someone on the pitch to get a grip of the game.
Someone must step into that role with Bright set to be out until after Christmas. The time for Chelsea's other leaders to prove their worth is now.
