Report: Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal (inc. goal)
Arsenal: Borbe; Fox, Williamson, Catley, Batlle; Cooney-Cross, Stanway, Little; Baum, Russo, Mariona
Substitutes: Misa, Wubben-Moy, Foord, Smith, Reuteler, Kelly, Blackstenius, Cerci, Holmberg
Arsenal have again failed to score in the WSL, losing to Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. The Gunners dominated the first half an hour, but in what’s fast becoming apparent is a feature not a bug of Renee Slegers’s football, Arsenal did not create much in terms of clear chances and then handed Chelsea a gift of a goal. With the loss, Arsenal are now 7 points behind of Manchester City, having replicated the start that Jonas Eidevall made two seasons ago, which of course led to his resignation.
Renée Slegers kept Anneke Borbe in goal, while Mariona was started from the left, with a midfield trio of Georgia Stanway, Kim Little, and Kyra Cooney-Cross.
Arsenal started strongly, and quickly moved the ball back to front on 10 minutes out to Baum. Baum came inside and shot, and McCabe, who had earlier unnecessarily pushed her and Kyra Cooney-Cross in the back, blocked the shot over for a corner.
Two minutes later Baum won the ball back off Thompson on the edge of the area after a wayward Mariona cross and shot again, with Walsh blocking this effort over.
Baum, running rings around McCabe, drove past her and slipped a reverse ball into Little. From a tight angle, she looked to cross which took a deflection off Buchanan and rattled off the post.
Arsenal should’ve taken the lead on 26 minutes. For the first real time, Chelsea threatened. Arsenal cleared to Russo who held the ball up off Buchanan, then turned and played wide to Baum. Baum drove and then played the ball through to Mariona on the left, who took a touch and then shot off the near post.
On 38 minutes Thompson took Fox on, and got showed inside. From the edge of the area she took a shot but it was straight at Borbe.
A minute later, though, Arsenal orchestrated a Chelsea goal. Catley, playing short, slipped. Her pass was cut out by Carpenter. Malard won the clearance off Batlle, and then Kaptein shot. Borbe parried the shot and Thompson slammed the ball into the net, having followed the shot, which Williamson and Fox failed to do. 1-0.
Chelsea should’ve wrapped the game up on 44 minutes. Malard was played into space down the side, with Catley trying to play offside. She drove into the box and shot low, with Borbe blocking the shot out for a corner.
McCabe was booked for taking too long over the corner. When she did deliver, it found Bronze, whose header was saved by Borbe.
No changes were made at halftime.
Borbe’s long ball found Baum in behind. Forced wide to the left by Bronze, she shot from a wider angle and Hampton parried. Unlike with Thompson’s goal, no Arsenal player was following the shot.
Chelsea worked the ball down the right hand side, and Carpenter crossed low across the box, and Malard, getting ahead of Catley and Williamson, poked her shot wide.
Slegers made a triple substitution on 61 minutes. Chloe Kelly replaced Baum, Stina Blackstenius replaced Stanway, and Foord replaced Mariona. Russo dropped into the number 10 position.
Foord’s first involvement in the game was to lose the ball to Bronze after Borbe threw the ball out. Bronze drove forward and passed to Malard, Williamson and Catley dropped off, and Malard saw her scuffed shot trickle just wide of goal.
Arsenal did create a chance on 69 minutes. A long ball to Blackstenius built the platform, Kelly switched to Foord who returned to Blackstenius. She passed the ball onto Kelly, but Kelly had to take a touch because of the pass, and McCabe blocked the shot before Fox’s follow up with her left foot went over the bar.
Russo won the ball back in the final third and Batlle cut back to Foord, but Foord took an extra touch when she needed to shoot first time.
Kelly did well to get past McCabe put then the pass was behind Foord, who had to take extra touches and saw her shot blocked.
On 82 minutes, Slegers made her final two changes. Reuteler replaced Batlle and Cerci replaced Little.
Five minutes were added on.
Chelsea had the ball in Arsenal’s half. Williamson won it, played quickly to Reuteler, who blindly looked for the run of Williamson, who hadn’t carried on her run into midfield.
In the final minute, Arsenal, with no openings, passed the ball between them in the centre circle as Emily Heaslip blew the whistle for full time.
With Arsenal now 7 points behind Manchester City and in 7th, it’s fair to say that any chance of winning the title–Slegers’s stated objective before the season–is all but surely gone. With away matches against Paris FC midweek and Manchester City next weekend, Arsenal’s season is in danger of spiraling out of control.
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