Arsenal Women Remain Hopeful For Title Despite Setback Against Chelsea

Add as a preferred source on Google

Jonas Eidevall remained optimistic about Arsenal's Women's Super League title aspirations despite a 2-1 loss to Chelsea at the Emirates. This defeat placed Arsenal sixth in the standings, with only five points from their first four matches. Mayra Ramirez and Sandy Baltimore scored early for Chelsea, while Caitlin Foord's goal before halftime was merely a consolation for Arsenal.

The loss capped off a challenging week for Eidevall, following a 5-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich. "It certainly doesn't help, but as I said before, the only way is to go game by game," Eidevall commented on their title hopes after the poor start. He expressed disappointment with the result but praised his players' determination.

Despite Chelsea's early goals, Arsenal dominated much of the match in north London but failed to capitalise on their chances. The Gunners had 20 attempts but managed only four on target, posing little threat to Chelsea's goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. Eidevall remains confident in his role and his team's effort.

"I gave my absolute everything," Eidevall stated. "You can see that the players certainly gave everything on the pitch too, and that is the thing you can control." He emphasised his satisfaction with the players' commitment and heart during the match.

Chelsea continued their strong start under Sonia Bompastor, building on their midweek victory over Real Madrid with this win against Arsenal. However, it wasn't an easy match for them; they achieved an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.35 in the second half.

Bompastor acknowledged the difficulty of the game: "For sure it was a tough game, we were expecting that. It's always good to win; three points are three points." She expressed a desire for her team to improve ball play in future matches given their talent.

Despite being four points behind early leaders, Eidevall believes he is still capable of guiding Arsenal forward. His focus remains on ensuring his team gives their all in every match as they aim to climb up the standings.