Arsenal triumph over Chelsea in London derby as WSL title race heats up

Last weekend, Chelsea women hosted local rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in a blockbuster fixture which saw them handed their second defeat of the season. The Gunners put on a clinic and defeated them 2-0 in the WSL, which has massive repercussions in the title race moving forward.

Arsenal went into the fixture as underdogs, four points behind the Blues and having suffered a midweek exit to Manchester United in the Subway Cup. They were also missing the likes of Leah Williamson and Chloe Kelly through injuries and Olivia Smith via suspension, a squad depleted in comparison to their opponents. Chelsea, on the other hand, were able to put out a stronger squad with Keira Walsh returning to the bench after being out, and both Lucy Bronze and Millie Bright back in the starting XI.

The game was fiercely contested in the first half as Arsenal started strong with McCabe and Russo both registering efforts on target, but Hampton stood tall in the Chelsea goal. The home side responded with their own attempts, threatening mainly from set pieces, but ultimately amounting to nothing. The first half finished 0-0, neither side able to break down the other’s stubborn defence.

What followed was a powerful effort that rifled into the far corner of the Chelsea net

The second half was a different story, as Arsenal came out the blocks firing and quickly got themselves in front. Mead opened the scoring in the 55th minute after Catley won possession back from Kerr, who claimed she was fouled, but play continued and Russo set up her England teammate. What followed was a powerful effort that rifled into the far corner of the Chelsea net. Six minutes later, the Gunners struck again. Beth Mead, once again playing a starring role, found Mariona Caldentey alone on the edge of the box, and after some fancy footwork, curled a fantastic effort into the bottom corner.

Chelsea will rue their missed chances, with Cuthbert and Nusken missing golden opportunities as they chased the game, but the Blues were only able to register one shot on target, a long range effort from Bronze. Borbe found herself untroubled in net, picking up her sixth clean sheet in nine games.

Chelsea remain second in the WSL with 27 points, but Arsenal are now hot on their heels at 26

This is a historic victory for Arsenal, picking up their first win away at Chelsea since 2018, a victory that will do wonders for their confidence after a relatively poor first half of the season. Chelsea remain second in the WSL with 27 points, but Arsenal are now hot on their heels at 26. Chelsea will have been hoping for 3 points to keep pace with Manchester City, but their title hopes seem to be ever fading away.

Following a hard-fought 2-1 victory to London City Lionesses, it looks likely that the WSL title will be heading up north for the first time in ten years, as Manchester City pulled nine points clear at the top of the table on Sunday. The race is far from over, with both London teams set to face City in the second half of the season, but the blue side of Manchester have hit incredible form and it will take a monumental effort to knock them off top spot.