Chelsea on verge of retaining WSL title after Eriksson caps win over Arsenal

It has taken Emma Hayes four games to get the better of Jonas Eidevall in the league since he joined Arsenal from Rosengard in 2021, more than any other manager she has faced, but there was no more significant time to get the win against her foe and no more significant a scorer of their second in the 2-0 win.

The Blues needed three points to extend their lead over Manchester United to five, with three points against Reading enough to secure the title next week should United not falter in the Manchester derby later on Sunday. Arsenal will be hoping United can do them a favour in their battle with City for the third Champions League place but will be ruing Katie McCabe’s missed penalty, which could have got them back in the match.

Kingsmeadow fizzed with anticipation hours before kick-off, the away section full and vocal as the players warmed up, but the sold-out home crowd would dampen the sound of the traveling posse as Guro Reiten scored her eighth WSL goal of the season to give the Blues the lead before Magda Eriksson added an emotional second in the departing captain’s final game at Kingsmeadow.

“There’s not enough words to describe the impact,” said Hayes before the match of Eriksson and her partner, Pernille Harder, both leaving. “Magda particularly because she’s been here longer, they have had on the club.

“People don’t really realise what this culture is unless you’re in it and it’s a culture that Magda especially, alongside me, has driven the standards of, I’d say Millie Bright too, the three of us have been the standard bearers.”

Hayes made six changes to the starting XI that beat West Ham on Wednesday night, with Erin Cuthbert, Lauren James, Reiten, Maren Mjelde, Eve Périsset and Ann-Katrin Berger all having