Report and free match highlights as Arsenal hold Chelsea to 0-0 draw in WSL clash; Gunners maintain two-point lead over Chelsea at the top of the table but Blues have a game in hand; champions denied stoppage-time penalty after ball strikes Leah Williamson's arm
Saturday 12 February 2022 07:20, UK
Neither Chelsea nor Arsenal were able to strike a telling blow in the Women's Super League title race as they played out an entertaining 0-0 draw at Kingsmeadow.
Chelsea went into the game knowing a victory would take them one point above Arsenal at the top of the WSL table - with a game in hand - but instead the Gunners remain two points clear.
Jonas Eidevall's side had the upper hand for most of the first half and could have taken the lead when Vivianne Miedema struck the post after Rafaelle Souza had nodded down Steph Catley's long ball into the box.
The Netherlands international had begun to control the game for Arsenal and flashed a rasping left-footed drive over Ann-Katrin Berger's crossbar.
Caitlin Foord believed she could have had a penalty after she was brought down by Jess Carter following an impudent nutmeg on the Chelsea defender, but the claim was waved away.
Stina Blackstenius then missed a good opportunity to mark her first WSL start with a goal when she miscued her header from Catley's cross, despite Chelsea's defenders affording her the freedom of the penalty area.
The Blues nearly made their visitors pay for those spurned opportunities towards the end of the half, but were denied an opener when some last-ditch defending by Souza and Catley foiled Pernille Harder and then Sam Kerr.
The reigning WSL champions continued to create - and waste - chances in the second period, with Kerr missing her kick when unmarked in the six-yard box and Guro Reiten shooting straight at Manuela Zinsberger when she should have found the bottom corner from the centre of the area.
Jonna Andersson's bulleted strike from the edge of the box left Zinsberger rooted to the spot but flew just wide, and Harder almost scored after the goalkeeper and Leah Williamson got in each other's way when trying to clear Ji So-Yun's shot.
But Arsenal came back into the game in the last 20 minutes and were only denied a late goal by some desperate Chelsea defending, with Berger keeping out Frida Maanum's free-kick before Millie Bright headed Blackstenius' corner off the line.
Then came the game's most controversial moment as Niamh Charles' cross deep into stoppage-time struck the outstretched arm of Williamson, who was perhaps lucky none of the officials deemed the offence worthy of a spot-kick.
But ultimately neither side was able to find the goal that would give them the upper hand in a title race that looks like going down to the wire.
It was perhaps unsurprising that Chelsea and Arsenal played out a goalless draw given the sides have recorded 17 clean sheets between them in 27 WSL matches this season, while the Blues maintained their record of conceding just one goal at home in the league all campaign.
But Sue Smith, the former England international, told Sky Sports: "It was a game of missed opportunities. Both sides had clear-cut opportunities.
"What a game. You think, '0-0, it must've been boring', but it was anything but that. You have two top-quality sides. They didn't take their chances but what a game it was."
Karen Carney, the former Chelsea and Arsenal player, shared Smith's view, adding that the result is "great for the WSL".
"I'm wondering which manager will be happier with that," she said. "Jonas Eidevall looked disappointed and his game plan - especially in the first half - was brilliant. It was just the final ball which let them down.
"You could hear Emma Hayes say 'what a game' at the end. Two great teams and two great managers. It was great for the WSL and the title race continues. It's going to go down to the final game of the season for me."
Emma Hayes believes Chelsea are still in a "strong" position in the WSL title race despite missing the chance to overtake Arsenal on Friday night.
However, Hayes was disappointed with the decision by referee Rebecca Welch not to penalise Williamson for her late handball in the Arsenal penalty area.
"I didn't feel a result either way was going to determine something," Hayes told Sky Sports. "I thought it was a great game of football between the top two teams right now. Could have gone either way.
"The best official in the league has missed the biggest decision tonight. Everybody knows… it happens. But I think they got away with that one. Beyond that, the game could have gone in either direction.
"I thought we were sluggish first half. We took a while to wake up and I said that at half-time. I thought the team responded really well. I thought all the big chances we didn't put away, but we're still in a good, strong position."
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall admitted his side may have got lucky by avoiding a penalty against Williamson, but believed the Gunners could have had their own spot kick for Carter's tackle on Foord in the first half.
Asked if he had thoughts on Chelsea's late penalty claim, Eidevall told Sky Sports: "Yes I do. I also have my own thoughts about the situation with Caitlin Foord.
"It's the ref's decision. I think maybe that could have been a penalty against us. Maybe we should have had a penalty before. It goes both ways."
Eidevall shared Hayes' view over the quality of the spectacle, though, saying: "Of course you want to win, but I'm satisfied with our performance.
"I think everyone should be satisfied with the football that they saw here today. I think it's the best game by far I've seen in this league this season.
"It's two very good teams that are really battling each other, and I think it's what's going to really drive this league forward."
While she wasn't able to create or score a winning goal for Arsenal, Kim Little impressed at the heart of the Gunners' midfield and was named player of the match.
The 31-year-old excelled at both sides of the game, recording the highest passing accuracy among Arsenal's starters and regaining possession more often than any of her team-mates.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, she said: "It was an enjoyable game to play in. You could see it's the two best teams in the league and we both gave it as good as we could get. We both created some really good opportunities and we felt like we controlled the game for large parts.
"We're disappointed not to put one of those chances away but we can be proud of the performance tonight. For us lately, the 90 minutes have been a little bit inconsistent but tonight we've been a lot more consistent."
The Women's Super League will now take a weekend off for the international break. Chelsea return to action on Saturday, February 26 when they face Leicester Women in the Women's FA Cup fifth round. Arsenal will travel to Liverpool Women on Sunday, February 27 in the same competition.
