Arsenal have started the new Barclays FA Women’s Super League season with a bang by beating Chelsea 3-2 in a thrilling match at The Emirates Stadium.
Beth Mead’s double helped down The Blues and get The Gunners, who are now under the guidance of new boss Jonas Eidevall, off to a flyer.
The opening weekend of what is shaping up to be the biggest Barclays FA Women’s Super League season in history needed a blockbuster fixture to truly raise the curtain on the 2021/2022 campaign. Fans couldn’t have asked for a better spectacle as they flooded into the sunlit Emirates this afternoon to witness Arsenal play host to the reigning champions Chelsea.
Chelsea began the game on the front-foot but The Gunners gradually grew into the contest and soon had the lead. A ball down the left-hand side found Vivianne Miedema who drove into the Chelsea area. Jess Carter tracked back to cover but the Dutch striker cut back onto her right and shot through the defender’s legs, beating Ann-Katrin Berger at the near post.
The hosts then nearly doubled their lead when a cut-back from Mead picked out Mana Iwabuchi on the penalty spot but the Japanese international would’ve been disappointed with her effort as she couldn’t keep the ball down and blazed over.
Just before the break, a corner from the right was worked into the Arsenal 18-yard box and the defending side were only able to half-clear the ball. Millie Bright collected for the second phase then played a low ball across the box which eventually reached Erin Cuthbert who coolly slotted the ball into the far corner for the equaliser.
When the sides went in at the interval there seemed a promise of goals when they returned to the field and that’s exactly what we got.
A strong break from Arsenal saw Miedema drop deep to receive the ball and then play Mead through the Chelsea defence. The Arsenal number nine used her pace to latch onto the ball and hammer a left-footed shot into the opposite corner of the net.
The England forward wasn’t done there. Some neat interplay between Iwabuchi and Miedema opened the space for Mead to run into. Iwabuchi fed her first time and Mead beat Berger to the ball, rounded the Chelsea keeper and she had the composure to dribble past the recovering Jess Carter and passed the ball into an empty net to make it 3-1. The replays raised questions over whether the goal should have stood with Mead seemingly in an offside position.
Chelsea weren’t going to lie down and they soon reduced the arrears. A cross in from the right picked out Pernille Harder in the area and the Dane powered a header beyond Manuela Zinsberger into the roof of the Arsenal net.
The Blues, seemingly buoyed by that goal, pushed to try and find that equaliser. Chelsea found themselves in great positions in the wide areas and peppered crosses into the defensive area but just couldn’t pick out a teammate, mainly due to some resolute Arsenal defending.
The home crowd were willing their side over the finish line as deafening chants of “Arsenal” rang out around the Emirates. Whistles filled the air as they urged referee Rebecca Welch to bring the game to a close and finally, she obliged. Cheers roared from a group of fans who seemed like they’d been waiting decades for that moment.
Questions will be asked about Mead’s second goal but take nothing away from a superb and tenacious Arsenal performance who were well worth the three points. For Emma Hayes and Chelsea, it is a defeat at the start of their title defence and brings an end to their five-year unbeaten away run in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League. Perhaps even more difficult to take is that it comes at the hands of what could prove to be a title rival. The Arsenal players will get the limelight following the victory but the real winners today were the fans with 8,705 being the highest attendance of the opening weekend.
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