Arsenal’s title challenge is all but over, after a shambolic display at Stamford Bridge saw Chelsea ride out comfortable and deserved 3-1 winners. A goal from Lauren James and a brace from Sjoeke Nusken meant Chelsea had the game all but won after just 32 minutes, whilst a late own goal by Macário provided the scantest of consolations for a wretched performance at the home of the champions.
In truth should we really have been surprised by this? Arsenal haven’t claimed a Top 3 away scalp in the WSL for over 5 years. It’s a shocking run of form that continues to undermine any attempt to reclaim the top spot in the table. Arsenal’s last big away win was in 2018. It was also the last season they won the League.
Yet despite Arsenal’s recent track record, they went into the match as favourites. Chelsea’s squad has been devastated by injuries, with Emma Hayes not able to call upon the likes of Millie Bright, Sam Kerr or Fran Kirby. New signings Ramirez and Bjorn were unavailable.
By contrast, Arsenal are on the up, with Leah Williamson now back in the fold, and Laura Wienroither not far off. And whilst Vivianne Miedema may have suffered a setback with her ACL recovery, Lacasse, Sabs and Fox were now back from international duty following the conclusion of the Gold Cup.
Arsenal had the strength on the pitch and the bench to handle this kind of fixture, whereas Chelsea were forced to cobble together whoever was left to try and sustain their title ambitions, with Emma Hayes opting to have Lauren James and Nusken to lead the line. Arsenal had dispatched Chelsea with ease at Emirates Stadium earlier in the season, when they were in a worse state than this (and Chelsea vice versa). This was surely only going to go one way.
At yet it did not. From the moment the game kicked off, Chelsea were fast, intense, and confident in their play, forcing Arsenal back and controlling the tempo. The lively Lauren James, who was marshalled so well in the reverse fixture, was now unleashed in all her fury at her home, with her pace and trickery providing a constant menace.
Arsenal were the total opposite. Jonas had picked the midfield typically used to compliment Russo, but picked Stina to lead the line instead, possibly in an attempt to cash in on her recent form following her hat-trick against Aston Villa. It didn’t work, Arsenal’s attack offered barely any threat, with Steph Catley’s drive from the acutest of angles their sole effort on target in what would prove to be a disastrous 45 minutes. But that wasn’t the worst of it.
London is Blue and so are your socks. 🧦😏 pic.twitter.com/m6Dm0FYBeh
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) March 15, 2024
Earlier in the evening, a mix up with the kits had led to a delay to kick-off. Arsenal’s socks were deemed to be clashing with Chelsea’s, forcing Arsenal to purchase away socks from the gift shop for their team to play in. It says a lot that this was not the greatest farce of the night. That (dis)honour belongs to the defence, who performed with a level of ineptitude not seen since Lotte Wubben-Moy and Jen Beattie were paired together for the 2021 FA Cup Final (ironically, also against Chelsea).
It was hard to believe at times that Arsenal had England and Ireland captains, and the Australian vice-captain, within the backline, such was the lack of quality, communication, and positional awareness from all of them. At least Leah Williamson had the caveat of still trying to build up her match fitness as she returns from her ACL injury. This was her first 90 minutes of the season, and based on this evidence, she is still short from her best level. For McCabe and Catley, there were no excuses, with the pair of them offering their worst performances since joining the club.
That ball through from Nüsken and the shot from James was too powerful!#BarclaysWSL @ChelseaFCW pic.twitter.com/yzywJz4vCJ
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) March 15, 2024
The first goal only hinted at what was to come. Williamson and Wubben-Moy had moved over to the right flank to cover for Katie McCabe whilst she joined in with a potential attack. But Catley had failed to notice, opting to push up beyond the halfway line, instead of staying back and tucking in. It left a huge, gaping hole in the defence that Chelsea exploited with ease when Leah’s loose pass to Pelova was picked off by Reiten. Lauren James stormed through and smashed in her customary Stamford Bridge goal via the gloves of Manu Zinsberger.
Steph Catley and Katie McCabe unaware of the threat behind them
The second was a toxic cocktail of panic stations and basics abandoned. Lia Walti was beaten far too easily by Lauren James on the halfway line. Both Catley and McCabe committed the heinous crime of ball watching, distracted by LJ’s barnstorming run, allowing both Rytting Kaneryd and Reiten to sprint into the space behind them. Reiten was not closed down for the cross, Catley and Foord allowed Rytting Kaneryd to win the ball uncontested, and despite Williamson’s close attention, Nüsken was able to divert Cuthbert’s shot home unimpeded.
These were mistakes one might expect of a junior side learning the ropes, not of experienced, international quality players, who one could argue (not based on this evidence) are the best in class. Players who played together at the club for the last 3 years and (Leah aside) have been keystones of the backline this season. And yet all that experience, defensive knowledge and talent flew out the window, as Arsenal’s defensive composure, and indeed their frail remanets of a title charge, simply disintegrated.
Leah Williamson abandons her post, allowing Nüsken to deflect the strike into the net
The third goal summed up the torrid evening Leah Williamson was suffering, who would leave the match in tears at full time. A wild 45-yard switch was picked off by Rytting Kaneryd, who was able to launch a counter charge with the rest of the Arsenal side committed forward. To compound her first error, Leah then chose to abandon Nüsken in the box, who was able to deflect the Swedish midfielder’s effort unopposed past a helpless Zinsberger to round off a 17-minute defensive disaster-class.
Arsenal were fortunate that it remained at just 3. Lauren James, Rytting Kaneryd and Ashley Lawrence were all foiled by Zinsberger brilliance in the second half as Arsenal desperately clung on and their defence continued to disfunction. Jonas ran the changes, but again, the wrong ones, meaning Arsenal’s attack continued to splutter. Russo was introduced for Stina, but then Pelova was also withdrawn for Frida, meaning Arsenal still had the wrong 9 and 10 combinations in play. When a goal did finally come late on, it was a total fluke. Kim Little’s strike from the edge of the box was going wide, until it took a wicked deflection off Macario to divert it just inside the post. Just reward for the 6,000 away supporters who had stayed and supported the team loudly throughout the night, but not warranted based on the performance.
The final whistle ended a contest that in truth never existed. Arsenal were out-fought, out-thought, out-classed and, whilst not mathematically just yet, effectively out of the running for the WSL title for yet another season. For Chelsea, it was a fully warranted triumph, winning in Emma Hayes’ last WSL game at Stamford Bridge, and remaining on course for their first ever quadruple. And for Arsenal fans, it left the same question hanging over this team’s head. Why?
Why does this always happen? Why do Arsenal always lower their game when they travel to the likes of Chelsea and Man City? It is a malaise that has become so routine, us fans are almost immune to it. Before we could point at the manager, at Joe Montemurro’s inability to compete with the higher order. Before, we could point at injuries, at the fact that Arsenal weren’t able to compete with their best players. But neither applied here.
Arsenal were close to full strength, and with a manager who has finally able to bloody the nose of Chelsea on more than one occasion, trouncing them 3 months ago at Emirates Stadium and beating them to silverware the season prior. And yet, from the moment the whistle blew, they were never in the fight. Arsenal have had some bad defeats already this season, but never did their levels drop to depths they exhibited here. This was a performance of a side who, despite having the decked stacked in their favour for the first time in years, never looked they truly believed they could win. The lack of intensity, the abandonment of principles, the catalogue of errors, this was a chastening night for Jonas, as despite now being 3 seasons into managing Arsenal, he still doesn’t look any closer to cracking their away day conundrum. And until he manages to do that, Arsenal will never be able to properly challenge for a WSL Title.
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