ARSENAL CAN STILL CLAIM THE DOUBLE, SAYS NOBBS
THERE’S not much England and Arsenal midfielder Jordan Nobbs has not won in her career.
But she admits the fourth and latest SSE Women’s FA Cup winners’ medal from last weekend felt the most special.
The 23-year-old played a pivotal role as Arsenal beat Chelsea in front of a record 32,912 crowd at Wembley.
And, though Nobbs scored in the 2013 final at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium and starred in victories at the Ricoh Arena and stadium:mk, she says nothing beats winning at Wembley.
Nobbs said: “All of the cup finals have been different. I scored in one, I got man of the match in another. But, to go to Wembley and play in front of a crowd that big and produce such a good team performance probably beats the others now.
“We hired somewhere to celebrate with our friends and family, and it was a really enjoyable night. It was great to be part of.”
In the 46th staging of the final – and only the second to be played at Wembley – Arsenal blitzed Chelsea from the off and were good value for their victory.
Dan Carter almost caught out Hedvig Lindahl with a first-minute chip.
But she didn’t have to wait long to find the net, cutting on to her right foot from the left flank before curling a delicious effort across goal and into the top corner.
The crowd waited for a response from Chelsea but it didn’t come.
Arsenal’s high line kept lone-striker Fran Kirby too far from goal to cause any real damage. And it was the Gunners who came closer to a second, but Kelly Smith’s header bounced back off the crossbar.
The pattern of the game was in stark contrast to the league meeting between the pair last month, when Chelsea won 2-0.
Nobbs believes her team can kick on from their cup final victory and close the gap at the top of the table to Manchester City.
They currently trail them by 11 points but have a game in hand.
She added: “We played against Chelsea in the league a few weeks before and we didn’t play well.
“But on Saturday I don’t think Chelsea were ready for our fast start.
“We gave them a surprise and I was a bit shocked they didn’t create as much as I thought they would have.
“I don’t think we had produced our best until Saturday.
“We made Chelsea create nothing in 90 minutes and we passed the ball well enough to ensure our front three can have an effect in the same way the Chelsea and Manchester City forwards can.
“Because the league is so tight, you can’t judge what will happen until the last few games.
“Last season, Manchester City had a poor start and they finished second.
“Everything can change.
“That’s why this league is so exciting for the fans to watch.
“I believe we still do have chance to win it.”