CHELSEA ROMP GETS DROGBA’S APPROVAL
Chelsea want their title back — and emma hayes’s side made no mistake in telling the reigning champions all about it by hammering them in their own backyard yesterday.
‘This rivalry isn’t a matter of life or death, it’s far more than that,’ said the Chelsea boss, curiously echoing Bill shankly’s line.
The west london club, unbeaten this season, were the last side to defeat arsenal at Meadow Park in the super league a year ago and they comfortably repeated the trick in front of a capacity crowd.
Big players make their mark in big games and Bethany england is going some way to cementing her name among the league’s best. The 25-year- old striker put the visitors in front just 10 minutes in, first beating louise Quinn and then curling the ball beyond a helpless Manuela Zinsberger.
But while Chelsea’s top scorer continued to hog the limelight, new arrival sam Kerr wanted in on the action. The australia striker opened her Blues account in her second start in three games. latching on to a deep cross from Guro Reiten, Kerr headed home Chelsea’s second goal in three minutes.
With hayes’s side dictating the tempo, Joe Montemurro’s unforced changes to his starting line-up were proving costly. even the previously ever-present lisa evans was left out of the starting XI.
‘I take responsibility for the set-up,’ he said. ‘It’s always hard sitting back and seeing a team so powerful, putting us under a lot of pressure and creating chances. The disappointing thing is we couldn’t even get the ball down and play.’
Wales midfielder sophie Ingle made it three, lashing a half-volley with her weaker left foot into the top corner from 25 yards out — a contender for goal of the season, surely.
‘I think I knew it was going in as I hit it,’ said Ingle, who earned plaudits on Twitter from Chelsea legend Didier Drogba. ‘Beth (england) ducked out of the way as I shouted, I caught it sweet and thankfully it went in.’
If Montemurro thought his side lost their way in the reverse fixture — a 2-1 defeat at Kingsmeadow in October — they certainly did here.
‘It’s probably the biggest setback I’ve had in my two years here so we can give the players a little bit of leeway,’ he said. ‘But this team is resilient, it won’t give up.’
Chelsea saw off any hopes of an arsenal comeback with a well-worked team goal midway through the second half, this time Ingle turning provider to set up Reiten for a glancing header.
a lapse in concentration from the usually assured Chelsea keeper annKatrin Berger gifted the home side a consolation goal. With her first real contribution since coming on from the bench, Beth Mead headed in Katie McCabe’s looping cross under Berger. But it was too little too late.
Chelsea’s win closes the gap at the top of the table to a point from new leaders Manchester City, who won 2-0 at Birmingham, and arsenal, but hayes’s side have a game in hand.