Arsenal’s 4-1 triumph against Barclays Women’s Super League title rivals Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium certainly seemed like more than three points, but head coach Jonas Eidevall says that his side won’t get carried away after such a momentous occasion.
Alessia Russo netted a brace while Beth Mead and Amanda Ilestedt were also on target as The Gunners recorded a huge victory in-front of a Barclays Women’s Super League record crowd of 59,042.
When speaking in the post-match press conference, Arsenal boss Eidevall hailed his side’s performance but insisted that nothing is won until the final whistle is blown at the end of the season.
“It’s our strongest performance so far this season,” Eidevall said. “In football, if you want to win things, you need to be consistent in your performances.
“Yes, we’re happy today but at the end of the day, it’s our finishing position that’s going to matter. Nothing has been won or lost in that regard. We stay focused and we keep developing.”
Before yesterday’s game, Eidevall alluded to principles that the club were sticking by and that was certainly evident in what was a dominant display from goalkeeper to striker and everything in-between. Every time that Arsenal won the ball, they made the pitch as big as possible, stretching the wide players out, almost as if they were hugging the touchline, progressing the ball down the flanks and creating opportunities effectively.
“We know the way Chelsea play defensively,” Eidevall said. “It’s really important to not be stuck on the ball in your own half, so you have to break out. What I was pleased about, especially in the first half, was that we had a good mixture of those moments; being able to create goalscoring opportunities but also, put our foot on the ball and manage it.
“It’s totally different being able to manage the ball in their half and the way we managed the ball against Chelsea. I haven’t seen any team, apart from Barcelona, doing that against them for long spells in the game.
“One of the learnings from our poor start against Manchester City was how we go into a game to not only be surprised by the intensity of the opponent, but trying to surprise them, and that has been our training culture.”
One player who didn’t find herself on the scoresheet but influenced the game in a different way was midfield magician Victoria Pelova. Her game-changing contribution to Arsenal’s first goal was key.
“Look at the first goal and look at Pelova’s run in the transition moment and you tell me that run is not the investment for a team that wants to win a football match,” Eidevall highlighted.
“That’s the whole difference; we end up getting Beth Mead on the ball there as she can show all her skill and composure and great finishing to score. To have a central midfielder who’s able to invest that run, I think that’s why Pelova has been so great for us in the autumn.”
Arsenal continue their Barclays Women’s Super League campaign with a fixture against Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon.