Women’s Super League set for further twist as Chelsea host Arsenal in top of the table clash
Fran Kirby on the ball for Chelsea in its defeat of Arsenal in December’s FA Cup final
At first glance, Chelsea and Arsenal’s top-of-the-table clash in the Women’s Super League tonight has all the ingredients needed to be a classic title decider. We may only be in February, but both teams have entered the run-in and come into this Friday night encounter under the lights at Kingsmeadow separated bytwo points with less than 10 matches to go this season.
A victory for Chelsea would see the defending WSL champions overtake Arsenal and go top of the table for the first time this campaign, and with a game in hand. Arsenal are in need of a response after dropping points in three of their last four league fixtures and restoring their four-point lead at the top would appear to move the Gunners into a commanding position.
A London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal is a huge fixture in any case but while the debate around expanding the WSL continues, the reality is that a 12-team league and a 22-game season means that clashes between those sides at the top of the table take on even greater significance.
After all, the past two seasons have been decided on that basis. Chelsea won the title by two points last season and their second consecutive championship was effectively sealed when they held Manchester City to a 2-2 draw last April. Head-to-head results between the top four teams effectively determined who finished as champions, with Chelsea only dropping points in one other fixture against a team in the bottom eight.
It is tempting, therefore, to view tonight’s clash in a similar light, but that would be to ignore the twists and turns that have made this WSL one of the most unpredictable in recent years. Since the start of December, Arsenal have been beaten by bottom-side Birmingham City and Chelsea have lost to Reading, with the advantage in the title race appearing to swing week by week.
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It is not just a two-horse race, either, with Manchester United finding impressive form under Mark Skinner to emerge as potential contenders and Tottenham Hotspur only a point further behind.
Birmingham’s win over Arsenal was their first of the season
There is considerable pressure and focus on Arsenal, though. Their opening day victory over Chelsea at the Emirates set the tone for the early part of the season and immediately set them out as the side to be hunted by the rest of the chasing pack and Chelsea in particular.
It was a role they embraced under their new manager Jonas Eidevall. Arsenal won their opening six games while scoring 23 goals and playing free-flowing attacking football. Their return to earth was sharp and came after losing captain Leah Williamson to injury and December’s FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea also felt like a significant moment. It is not a stretch to suggest that Arsenal have not been the same side since.
Looking back on the opening weeks of the season, however, there were clues that Arsenal’s form was unsustainable. Eidevall’s side were significantly outscoring their xG (expected goals) and whereas everything was clicking at the start of the campaign, they have since struggled to break down opposition defences with the same confidence, particularly those in the bottom half of the table.
Chelsea seem ready to take advantage and it would be an ominous statement from Emma Hayes’s champions if they were to hit the front at this stage. The Blues have shown vulnerabilities at times this season, however, particularly in a difficult spell around the turn of the year when they crashed out of the Champions League group stages after a 4-0 defeat to Wolfsburg.
Guro Reiten’s goal earned Chelsea a vital win against Man City
Hayes’s side are still yet to rediscover their full flow and Sunday’s gritty 1-0 win over Manchester City was a sign that Chelsea are prepared to grind this out. They still have the best strike force in the league in Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder but the weekend’s win over City brought a tactical tweak to suggest Hayes is willing to compromise what is a dream front three in return for greater defensive stability.
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The victory certainly had all the hallmarks of a seasoned champion. It was a test, and if Chelsea pass this one against Arsenal they will be in pole position, even though the rest of the league will retain belief that they can cause a future upset. Chelsea still have two fixtures against Spurs to negotiate, as well as Manchester United on the final day.
Before then, though, Chelsea and Arsenal will share centre stage. It’s a great fixture, deserving of its own slot on a Friday night for maximum attention, but it is also significant that it does not feel like it is the defining clash of the campaign. There are plenty more twists and turns to come.
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