sport news Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea: Gunners stage a terrific first-half comeback to lift the ... trends now
A 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the Continental League Cup gives manager Jonas Eidevall his first piece of silverware as Gunners boss. His side simply wanted and needed it more.
Dumped out of the FA Cup by the Blues last weekend and nine points adrift from the top of the Women’s Super League, not winning this trophy could have ended their season.
They are still in the Champions League and, with games in-hand, are very much still in the title race. But the psychological impact of failing to win and, more importantly, losing to Chelsea again would have had long-lasting implications.
They could not have made a worse start here, with Sam Kerr putting Chelsea ahead after just 98 seconds. But, much like Mikel Arteta’s side had done a day earlier, Arsenal fought back.
Perhaps there is something in the water in north London? A Stina Blackstenius strike, a Kim Little penalty and an own goal from Niamh Charles completed a first half turnaround.
Arsenal have won the Women's League Cup after a terrific first-half performance saw them come from behind
Kim Little's penalty put Arsenal in-front for the first-time in the Selhurst Park cup encounter
Eidevall had said before this game that he had never watched Chelsea lift a trophy. ‘I’ve tried to escape watching those moments’. He did not have to escape at Selhurst Park.
For Emma Hayes, this will leave a bitter taste. Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was watching from the stands. He is not a good luck charm for the women either it seems.
Arsenal had not won a trophy since lifting the 2018-2019 title. Coincidentally, that was the last time Chelsea ended a season trophyless. Hayes will not fear that her side cannot bounce back.
They were beaten by Manchester City in last year’s final of this competition and went on to win the league. With fixtures against Manchester United, City and a Champions League tie with Lyon to come this month, they need to shake this defeat off quickly.
That Arsenal only had to win three games to earn this trophy raises questions over whether changes need to be made to the format of this competition going forward. There have already been multiple restructures, with the FA flipping between straight knockout rounds and group stages, which is the current format.
But this structure means teams competing in the Champions League by-pass the group stage and enter at the quarter-finals, which is what both Arsenal and Chelsea did. It is
