Arsenal 4-1 Chelsea
Report by Ava-Marianne Elliott in the press box, EXCLUSIVE photography by Lucy Copsey at The Emirates for Impetus (11/12/23).
Above: Alessia Russo celebrates – the Lionesses star hit two of Arsenal’s four goals yesterday. Photo: Lucy Copsey for Impetus.
Arsenal walked away with three crucial points at The Emirates after a triumphant win against rivals and league leaders Chelsea to go level at the top of the table in an action-packed London derby.
From kick-off, it was obvious that the battle was going to be relentless. Under the downpour in North London, the two sides fought for possession through the first moments of the game under the watchful eyes of a record crowd.
Arsenal broke the deadlock eight minutes into the fixture, with Caitlin Foord charging down the wing to send the ball across to skipper Kim Little. After close attention from the Chelsea defence, Victoria Pelova expertly turned against Niamh Charles with the ball glued to her feet, providing Beth Mead for a top-notch finish, sending the crowd into raptures.
The hosts’ lead lasted just five short minutes. A superbly executed build-up on the counterattack saw Jessie Fleming bag an assist from a well-picked pass, with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s shot sneaking past Manuela Zinsberger’s glove and bringing the scoreboard level.
With the score level, there were a few moments of uncertainty from Arsenal before their composure nullified the threat of Chelsea’s attack yet again. Charles was forced to head the ball out of play, the action conceding a corner and providing the Gunners a golden opportunity to push back in front, and they capitalised.
Amanda Ilestedt’s precisely placed header into Berger’s goal from Mead’s corner kick in the 36th minute set Arsenal ahead yet again, but the team continued to confidently claim another in quick succession. A perfectly picked pass from midfield maestro Lia Wälti saw Alessia Russo charge past two defenders with ease to net herself an impressive strike just two minutes later. The home team sat comfortably in front of the league at the half-time whistle after an impressive 45 minutes of play.
The second period started with three changes to Emma Hayes’ side to try and bring defensive reinforcement to the so-far shaky backline, and the team broke out strongly. Lauren James gained possession in space, but she sent the shot out wide.
Concern grew shortly afterwards for the home fans when skipper Little, was dealt a blow and forced off the field through injury- making way for Frida Maanum. Guro Reiten made her return to the field for Chelsea shortly after in the 64th minute, in the hopes her presence would help push the team’s play forward.
Pelova’s dominance in the midfield and role in Arsenal’s team dynamic continuously proved to be a problem for Chelsea. Her technicality and ability to keep the threat of the visitor’s attack at bay left the Blues struggling to find any further opportunities to catch up with the host’s lead. Her partnership with Wälti- who won the most duels for her side in the match – was something that Chelsea just couldn’t crack.
Even as the visitors doubled down on their efforts, Arsenal remained level-headed when defending Zinsberger’s goal, with Lotte Wubben-Moy making crucial clearances and the rest of the backline maintaining their control to keep the ball out of the net. Steph Catley made a crucial decision to slide in to force the ball off Rytting Kaneryd for a Chelsea throw, despite picking up a few knocks throughout the game so far.
There were shouts for a penalty kick at the 72-minute mark after Berger boldly came off her line, sending Russo to ground in the box. Arsenal’s star striker stepped up to take the penalty herself and was unfazed by the pressure, adding a fourth goal to the scoresheet for her team and securing a brace for herself in what was arguably her best performance in red and white to date.
A free kick awarded to the Blues late in the half right outside the edge of the box was a worry for the Arsenal defence, but the shot was dealt with as it landed with ease into the awaiting secure hands of Zinsberger.
Defender Wubben-Moy down to the very last minute worked to eliminate the usual threat of Sam Kerr’s presence in front of goal. Her ability to remain cool and see out the game by anticipating the movement of one of the most prolific goal scorers in football who is usually a danger in the final third was nowhere near as impactful due to Wubben-Moy’s performance for the home side.
The following play saw Arsenal exercises their attacking ability moving forward yet again as a sublime pass from Wälti to Maanum gave Blackstenius the chance in front of goal to add a fifth to Arsenal’s impressive total, but her efforts were unsuccessful as the Chelsea defence pulled together. Eight minutes of extra time were added to the half due to the physicality and competition seen between the two teams, and the talented youngster Kyra Cooney-Cross was brought on to see out the final moments of game time.
The atmosphere at The Emirates was unmatched after a thrilling encounter between the two sides. When the whistle was blown, Arsenal’s impressive victory was officially sealed over Chelsea.
More of Lucy Copsey’s sensational EXCLUSIVE images from The Emirates for Impetus
Teams: ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Zinsberger, McCabe, Ilestedt, Wubben- Moy, Catley, Pelova, Wälti, Mead, Little, Foord, Russo. Substitutes: D’Angelo (GK), Beattie, Miedema, Codina, Maanum (61’), Maritz (76’), Lacasse (75’), Blackstenius (76’), Cooney- Cross (90+3’).
Scorers: Mead 8’, Ilestedt 36’, Russo 38’, 74’.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Berger, Périsset, Mjelde, Carter, Charles, Nüsken, Cuthbert, Rytting Kaneryd, Fleming, James, Kerr. Substitutes: Mušović (GK), Hampton (GK), Fishel (75’), Ingle, Reiten (64’), Lawrence (46’), Kirby (46’), Buchanan (46’), Beever-Jones
Scorer: Rytting Kaneryd 13’.
Referee: Rebecca Welch
Attendance: 59,042 (new WSL attendance record).
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