Arsenal Women defeated Chelsea women 1-0 on Sunday night, to win the Women’s Continental Cup 2024, for the 2nd consecutive year. Days later, this result is still blowing Gooners’ (and Emma Hayes!) minds, but how did they achieve it?
Arsenal Women were determined to win; they pressed hard and employed a man-marking strategy. Arsenal’s man-marking of Buchanan and Leupolz forced the Blues to build through Carter, making them struggle to employ their game plan.
Using the Stina Blackstenius and Frida Maanum duo, which “carried” the Arsenal team last season, was a sensible decision. Eidevall deployed the two (Frida and Stina) as split strikers, with the intention of creating space and stretching the Blues’ defense, allowing for scoring opportunities.
Our Gunners were also fast to interchange the ball, switching from right to left, making them unpredictable, as opposed to previous games where they’d just use a single channel for attack.
Arsenal’s large, talented squad also came into play. Laia Codina, Steph Catley, Alessia Russo, Kyra Cooney-Cross, and Caitlin Foord are strong for a starting XI. However, Jonas Eidevall introduced the five as substitutes, showcasing his amazing squad depth. Their impact was evident: their introductions aimed to challenge Chelsea’s exhausted legs, and they succeeded.
If there was one game where Arsenal’s game plan worked, it was their 1-0 victory over Chelsea. The Blues must have looked at Arsenal and wondered if this was the same team they thrashed two weeks previously.
Seeing the Chelsea boss, Emma Hayes, throw her toys out of the pram, appearing to shove the Arsenal boss, Jonas Eidevall, when he came in for a handshake post-match, was the absolute icing on the cake! Even through the Football Assocation have said she will face no action from them, she let herself down big time, and she knows it..
Anything to add Gooners?
Michelle M
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He had shoved her it would have been like the Spanish Inquisition that’s going on over the kiss