Arsenal put down an early marker in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League by defeating Chelsea 3-2 at The Emirates Stadium yesterday.
Vivianne Miedema fired The Gunners into an early lead while the impressive Beth Mead helped herself to a brace against the reigning Barclays FA Women’s Super League champions.
It feels like there aren’t enough words to explain just how thrilling the game was, it was a truly great advert for top flight football in England. In simple terms, here are the facts and figures behind Arsenal’s opening day victory over Chelsea.
41 – Arsenal calmly soaked up the pressure and took the chances which came their way. Jonas Eidevall’s side won the match with just 41% of the ball.
9 – The Gunners were also beaten on attempts on goal but were more clinical. Arsenal managed nine shots compared to Chelsea’s 15, however, the North Londoners registered 50% more shots on target than The Blues.
4 – Keeping your discipline is a big factor both in a North London derby and in a game of high stakes and Arsenal committed four less fouls than Chelsea over the course of the 90 minutes.
82 – Chelsea were the more accurate passing side with their completion rate of 82% being 5% high than Arsenal. Eidevall’s side arguably made more of those key accurate passes from midfield to attack.
148 – Arsenal managed to win the game making 148 less passes than their opponents. The Gunners attempted 349 passes compared to Chelsea’s 497.
0 – Arsenal’s victory was recorded without them having a single corner kick in the entire 90 minutes, a rare statistic for a winning team at any level.
Arsenal’s victory over Chelsea was their first on home soil in the league since the 2013 FA Women’s Super League 1 season and has given The Gunners a real boost as they look to close the gap between themselves and their title rivals.