By Ollie Wyse
Arsenal suffered their second defeat in the space of a week at the hands of London rivals, Chelsea - who kept up their 100% start to the season and won at Emirates Stadium for the first time since January 2020.
After a disappointing draw at home to Everton and a midweek thrashing from Bayern Munich, Arsenal were looking to kickstart their season as they welcomed Chelsea to N7 for a crucial London Derby.
They got off to the worst possible start when Mayra Ramirez fired the Blues ahead with an inventive overhead kick after just four minutes. Things got worse for the Gunners when the reigning champions doubled their lead 12 minutes later - Lauren James was allowed too much time and space to pick out an unmarked Sandy Baltimore, who headed home from inside the Arsenal six yard box.
Both sides squandered key opportunities, Lauren James with the first - missing an opportunity to kill the game in the first half by volleying over the bar after Guro Reiten gained possession following a mistake by Leah Williamson on the edge of her own box. Shortly after, Williamson was involved again, this time at the other end of the pitch, not making the most of an excellent McCabe delivery from a corner.
Arsenal kept on building, though, and their patience was rewarded when Caitlin Foord pulled a goal back for the home side on the stroke of half-time. The Australian international showed some excellent footwork to skip past Lucy Bronze before firing across Hannah Hampton in the Chelsea goal to send her side into the break with something to hold onto.
Deep into the second half, Jonas Eidevall turned to the bench to attempt to get his side back into the game, with Kyra Cooney-Cross and Stina Blackstenius replacing Kim Little and Mariona Caldentey on 76 minutes and it was the latter who would have the chance for an instant impact. McCabe's pass found Blackstenius and she tried to put Frida Maanum through but overhit the pass and conceded a goal kick.
With less than five minutes to go, Blackstenius found herself in the perfect position after a pinpoint free-kick delivery from Katie McCabe, but her effort struck the bar and Chelsea were able to clear. The Swedish international then won a corner for her side in injury time, however, Bronze was able to deal with the danger and Arsenal were not able to regain possession before the full-time whistle.
The defeat leaves Arsenal sixth in the WSL table with five points from their first five games. If pressure wasn't building on Jonas Eidevall before today's game, it certainly is now - no wins in the first three home WSL games and a thumping in Munich in the UWCL, not exactly the start to the season many would have been hoping for.
The Gunners return to Emirates Stadium on Wednesday 16th October, hoping to put this week behind them, as they host Valerenga in the Champions League before heading to the Chigwell Construction Stadium to face West Ham United in the WSL the following Sunday.
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