WSL title hopes ‘slipped away slightly’

Arsenal have 34 points from 16 Women’s Super League matches, with Chelsea on 40 points from the same amount of games

Arsenal captain Kim Little says her side’s hopes of winning the Women’s Super League title this season have “slipped away slightly” after Friday’s 3-1 loss at leaders Chelsea.

“It slipped away slightly, Chelsea are obviously in the driving seat,” Little told Sky Sports.

Chelsea have finished top in each of the past four seasons.

With only six league games remaining, Little added: “We will give it everything we’ve got to give it a small chance.”

After a 30-minute delay because of an embarrassing kit mix-up that saw Arsenal bring the wrong socks to the match and have to buy replacement ones from the Chelsea megastore, the Gunners conceded three times in the opening 32 minutes.

But Little did not use the incident as an excuse.

“We’re all professionals, we have to cope with adapting to things,” she added. “We all know we need to turn up as soon as that whistle blows and we didn’t do it in the way we wanted to.

“There were a few tactical elements early on that we didn’t fix quick enough and against a team of Chelsea’s quality you can’t allow that.”

‘This was Arsenal’s chance, they just didn’t show up’

Arsenal last won the WSL title in the 2018-19 season, but are third and will also fall six points behind second-placed Manchester City if Gareth Taylor’s side win their game in hand at Brighton on Sunday.

Ex-England midfielder Karen Carney, who played for both Arsenal and Chelsea, felt Jonas Eidevall’s side had blown their opportunity.

Speaking on Sky Sports, she said: “I was disappointed with Arsenal. This was their chance, they just didn’t show up. They had the better team, the better squad and sometimes these things happen.

“For me they are not in the title race, now they are out and they will have to reflect on that and so will the manager.

“Chelsea were the better team. You have to want it. I’m not saying Arsenal didn’t want it, but Chelsea wanted it that bit more and that’s why Chelsea are in the title race and Arsenal aren’t.”

Arsenal conceded three times in the opening 32 minutes against Chelsea

Gunners boss Eidevall refused to be drawn on his side’s chances of becoming champions, but was unhappy with how they played.

He said: “I’m looking at this game here, I’m not happy with our performance. That’s all I’m focused on.

“We should be unsatisfied with the way we performed as a team because that’s not our levels. I need to take accountability for that, we need to learn from that and we need to go next week.”

Arsenal still have a chance of winning silverware

The Gunners beat Chelsea 4-1 at Emirates Stadium in December and the two teams will meet again in the final of the League Cup on 31 March at Wolves’ Molineux stadium.

“Arsenal will keep going until it’s mathematically impossible, but they know that is a really tough one to take and their focus will probably now turn to the Conti Cup final,” said former Arsenal, Chelsea and Wales striker Helen Ward on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.

“There’s too much for Arsenal to do now in the WSL, especially if Manchester City do win [on Sunday].

“Trying to overhaul a six-point deficit of one team is difficult enough, but if there are two teams six points ahead of you, you’re relying on all sorts of results going your way.

“At this stage of the season I can’t see that happening to both Chelsea and Manchester City.”

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