Chelsea beat Arsenal 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening to claim the first major WSL title-race victory of the season, with Alyssa Thompson scoring the only goal after reacting quickest to Anneke Borbe’s save from Keira Walsh.
The result means Chelsea remain firmly in the early running to regain the WSL title after the opening matchweeks raised familiar concerns around control, chance conversion and whether the resilience that carried them through difficult games last season was still there.
Against Arsenal, they spent long periods second best, adapted to the problems in front of them and still found a way to win.
Arsenal set the tone early
Chelsea did not have to play particularly well to beat Arsenal. In fact, for long periods of the first half, they were second best.
Arsenal started aggressively, often committing six players to the press. Chelsea struggled to play through it and, perhaps surprisingly given the quality of their midfield, repeatedly looked to play longer balls in behind rather than build through the pressure.
Keira Walsh and Lexi Potter played as a double pivot, and both are capable of controlling possession and progressing the ball under pressure. However, Chelsea were too hasty in trying to get the ball forward, which often resulted in them giving possession straight back to Arsenal.
It was not always clear whether Chelsea were deliberately looking to play this way or whether Arsenal’s pressure was forcing them into it. Either way, the opening 25 minutes became a battle for second balls, one Arsenal largely won.
The structure of Chelsea’s front line also contributed to their difficulties. Kaptein played very narrow on the right, leaving Carpenter to provide the width from wing-back, while Lauren James again operated in a free role and Malard moved into the channels looking for combinations rather than staying central. With Arsenal disrupting Chelsea’s build-up, the front three struggled to make any headway.
