Four-goal Arsenal stun Chelsea in WSL
When the full-time whistle went at Emirates Stadium the only thing Chelsea manager Emma Hayes was thankful for was the 20-minute drive home, because Arsenal had just produced a performance worthy of title challengers.
"Arsenal meant business from the opening seconds," former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis told BBC Two, and they were able to maintain their dominance for the entirety of their superb 4-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
The defending champions travelled across London with a three-point lead at the top of the table but ended it ahead only on goal difference, after being what Hayes described as "bullied" by an Arsenal side who produced their performance of the season.
Beth Mead scored within eight minutes to put Arsenal in the driving seat, and though Chelsea responded through Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd they were second best throughout, later falling to a header from Amanda Ilestedt and an Alessia Russo double.
It is Chelsea's first loss in the Women's Super League this season and serves as a stark reminder that if they are to win a fifth successive title, they must overcome serious opposition in Arsenal.
"What you cannot do is give away three goals before half-time and then give a mindless fourth [goal away]. You're giving it up," said Hayes.
"We've lost a football match, it's not the end of the world. We're disappointed, of course we are, but it's just a loss. It's three points.
"We haven't lost the title or a final, we have just lost three points. We need to have perspective. It's our first league loss this season. Our disappointment is not just the result but the performance."
'A long 98 minutes' as Chelsea are 'bullied'
The performance by Chelsea was far from their best and they met an Arsenal side full of intent in front of a record crowd at Emirates Stadium.
"I've got a 20-minute drive home," was Hayes' response when asked if there were any positives at all to draw from the humbling defeat.
The Chelsea boss was clearly frustrated throughout, shouting instructions from the touchline and turning to look at her staff in dismay as mistakes mounted and the visitors struggled to get a foothold in the game.
At one point Hayes let out her frustration at Lauren James, one of several Chelsea players who could not make an impact and was eventually substituted in the second half after escaping a red card for standing on Lia Walti.
"I won't sit here and make any excuses. That's as bad as I've seen us in any game," added Hayes.
"If we want to compete, we have to be better than that. The better team won by a country mile. They bullied us. They dominated in the duels. All phases of our play were poor.
"You can't concede three goals from four shots at any level of football and expect to win the game. I felt as a team we just struggled. It wasn't any players, we struggled as a team and it was a long 98 minutes."
Hayes said Chelsea struggled to execute the "basic things" and admitted this was her side at their worst, but she is not concerned about the impact the defeat will have on her players.
"The last time we had a defeat like this in the [Women's League Cup] final we did OK," said Hayes.
"You have to get beaten. You can't go a whole season unbeaten, there's lots of top teams. You have to lose a game. We weren't good enough."
Chelsea's title defence was never going to be easy but the loss of injured centre-back Millie Bright had an impact at Emirates Stadium and Hayes confirmed she will be missing until at least Christmas.
Reaching new heights and mirroring BarcelonaThe best Arsenal have played this season - Eidevall
But while Chelsea's afternoon was one to forget, there was a carnival atmosphere at full-time in north London as Arsenal celebrated what manager Jonas Eidevall described as their "strongest performance of the season so far".
The Gunners were in complete control and not only posed a threat on the counter-attack, but also put Chelsea's players under pressure and did not allow them to settle.
Eidevall highlighted the "synergy" his players were able to create with the 59,042 in attendance, adding it took them to "new heights" as they closed the gap on their title rivals and proved their credentials as challengers.
"What I was really pleased about was that we could create goal scoring opportunities but also put our foot on the ball and manage the game," said Eidevall.
"I've not seen any team apart from Barcelona do that well against [Chelsea] for large spells in the game, so that was really nice to see.
"It's our strongest performance so far this season but in football, if you want to win anything, it's about being consistent in performances. It is great that you have a high and then it's about finding that for your baseline and your standard.
"This is always the hard thing in football. Yes we're happy but at the end of the day it is our finishing position in the league that will matter. Nothing will be won or lost today."
Arsenal's title hopes may even be boosted by the return of striker Vivianne Miedema, who is starting to find her feet again following a lengthy lay-off after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
England captain Leah Williamson is still absent but could return before the end of the season to give them a further lift, while new summer signings are starting to gel.
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Source: bbc.com