Women’s Super League: talking points from the weekend’s action
Emma Hayes praised the resilience of her Chelsea team after they came from behind to earn three points against Tottenham despite having a player sent off at 1-1. Asked whether that was the difference between Chelsea and their title rivals Arsenal, who have wilted when under pressure at times this season, Hayes said: “I can only talk about our resilience because I think that it’s unfair [to compare].” Hayes was being diplomatic but the resolve and problem-solving capabilities of her players have been a critical component in turning games when things have not been going their way. Arsenal’s squad may be littered with stars of competing footballing quality, but finding answers when the hardest questions are asked, mid-game, is Chelsea’s forte. SW
Match report: Tottenham 1-3 Chelsea
Sign up for our free women’s newsletter!
Arsenal, to be fair, played as if they were the league leaders and Chelsea the chasers in an ice-cold 3-0 triumph over Everton. The first of the three goals came in the 43rd minute via Caitlin Foord, who controlled a magnificent cross-field pass from Leah Williamson before sliding past Sandy MacIver. Beth Mead and Jordan Nobbs then joined in the scoring on the other side of half-time, netting their 50th WSL goals within eight minutes of each other. There was very little response from Everton. They were up against an Arsenal defence with 11 clean sheets in 18 WSL games under Jonas Eidevall and a 12th never looked in doubt. Arsenal’s win, after Chelsea’s defeat of Tottenham, means one point separates two head-strong teams with three games left. MN
JORDAN NOBBS JOINS THE 5️⃣0️⃣ CLUB!She joins Arsenal team-mate Beth Mead in registering her 50th #WSL goal this evening