Chelsea take another step towards the WSL title with easy victory over Arsenal | OneFootball

Chelsea have taken another step towards winning the Barclays Women’s Super League title after cruising to a 3-1 victory over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this evening.

Emma Hayes’ side delivered a performance of the ‘Chelsea standard’ as they dismantled an out of sorts Arsenal side in front of a healthy crowd of 32,970 at The Bridge.

Given their three-point deficit on Chelsea, Arsenal needed a victory this evening. However, they got off to a bad start when they were forced to wear dark Chelsea socks to avoid a kit clash. The enforced kit change delayed kick-off by half an hour.

Once the game finally got underway, it didn’t take long for Chelsea to make their mark. Lauren James found the game’s opening goal inside 15 minutes when her shot proved too hot to handle for Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger. The Austrian international could arguably have done much better to keep the ball out of the net.

Sjoeke Nüsken then doubled The Blues’ advantage with a deflected shot in the 21st minute. Erin Cuthbert claimed an assist as her strike was eventually redirected by Nüsken after the ball landed at her feet.

Just after the half-hour, Chelsea were on target again. Nüsken registered her second deflected goal of the game as the South West Londoners established a hefty three-goal lead.

Chelsea kept pushing for further goals and they were unlucky not to extend their advantage again when a shot from James narrowly skimmed the top of the net.

Arsenal started the second half with a higher press, intending to cause Chelsea problems and aiming to gain some control back through more possessive play.

Zinsberger made up for her earlier error with a couple of vital saves as she prevented the deficit from opening further. She blocked another strike from James and prevented Johanna Rytting Kaneryd from scoring after she was left unmarked by the Arsenal defence.

The Gunners were able to pull a goal back through Kim Little’s deflected strike in the 86th minute after Katie McCabe’s corner was only cleared as far as the edge of the box. The goal was eventually put down as a Catarina Macário own goal.

Chelsea ended the game 3-1 winners and they have moved three points clear at the top of the Barclays Women’s Super League table, albeit for the time being.