“Lauren James paces Chelsea’s dominant victory over Arsenal, giving them the advantage in the WSL championship race.”

Perhaps Arsenal needed to spend longer browsing the Chelsea club shop. A collection of black Chelsea away socks, complete with blue trim and a white lion on the calf, may have been acquired at the last moment to prevent a kit-clash, but what Arsenal needed most was an answer to Lauren James. A half-hour delay to kick-off did not give Jonas Eidevall enough time to come up with a solution, either, though the rest of the Women’s Super League would have struggled on this form.

James once again dominated Stamford Bridge as Chelsea defeated their rivals 3-1, bringing the team closer to a fifth consecutive title. The delayed kick-off seemed like a small mistake compared to Arsenal’s lackluster performance in their biggest game of the season. Let’s move on from talking about socks and focus on the bigger issue at hand.

Another disappointing loss in the WSL adds to concerns about Arsenal’s ability to maintain consistent performance throughout the season and meet the expectations set by reigning champions Emma Hayes’s team. Despite a recent opportunity to catch up to WSL title contenders Manchester City, Arsenal seems to have run out of chances. While they still have the chance to impact the title race in their upcoming match against City, they are currently six points behind top-ranked Chelsea with only six games left, making it a difficult gap to close. Arsenal had hoped to decrease this margin after their 4-1 victory against Chelsea at the Emirates, but it seems they were mistaken.

Stamford Bridge was buzzing with anticipation as Arsenal prepared to take on Chelsea in front of a record-breaking home crowd for a WSL game. The standout player was James, the English midfielder who dominated the field as if it were her personal stage. Despite Chelsea’s struggles with injuries, particularly in attack, James made sure her team’s performance was not affected. After being marked tightly in their previous matchup at the Emirates, manager Hayes gave James more freedom to play at the forefront of the attack, resulting in a spirited display from the entire Chelsea team. James’ skillful dribbling proved too much for Arsenal to handle.

Hayes described the field as a “playground” for her. She is a unique player in our team among many others we coach. Although she may not always be flawless or consistent, I can relate to her as a person. I have confidence that when we play at Stamford Bridge, she will give her best for our team. Despite being sick all week and only participating in one training session, she played with enthusiasm and freedom, especially when she had the ball. She can handle the pressure from the fans and understand her role as a crucial player on the team. Even when we don’t have possession, she still works hard. I am happy for her.

When given the opportunity, James effortlessly dominated in the game and was able to move around freely, playing at her own pace. Arsenal was unsure how to handle her, especially since she often casually strolled around and then would quickly move away. She achieved a goal, an assist, took seven shots, made countless dribbles, and even had a few conversations with Hayes on the sidelines while grinning. The outcome of the game was decided after only 31 minutes and James continued to control with ease, eventually receiving a standing ovation.

Chelsea’s lead increased to three goals as James skillfully got past Steph Catley and scored through the hands of Manuela Zinsberger. Later on, during Sjoeke Nusken’s first goal, James played a key role once again. She opened the match for Chelsea by outmaneuvering Catley and proceeded to make a smooth pass to Guro Reiten after circling around Lia Watli in Arsenal’s midfield.

After James was unable to play, Chelsea needed someone to take her place at the front of their attack. With Sam Kerr and Mayra Ramirez unavailable, manager Emma Hayes turned to Nusken. The midfielder displayed a striker’s intuition for both of her goals, one of which was a bit more intentional than the other. In the first goal, James passed to Reiten on the wing, and her shot was deflected in by Nusken at the back post, narrowly avoiding being offside. The second goal came after Arsenal lost possession and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd made a run towards the goal. Nusken skillfully avoided her shot, but it deflected off the back of her leg and past Zinsberger.

Nusken appeared embarrassed by her second performance, although it was deserved by both Chelsea players. The same could be said for Arsenal, who fell behind due to three defensive errors. It began with a costly mistake by Zinsberger, which highlights Arsenal’s need for a new goalkeeper every six months. Furthermore, Arsenal struggled to maintain possession throughout the first half and Chelsea took advantage.

Victoria Pelova was in possession of the ball during the play that resulted in James scoring the first goal. Leah Williamson made a mistake, causing her to lose possession when her free-kick went into the path of Rytting Kaneryd. Williamson also made another error allowing Nusken to take advantage of Cuthbert’s low shot, which was initially going wide. Lastly, on the third play, Lotte Wubben-Moy was easily beaten by Rytting Kaneryd’s shot, resulting in the ball deflecting off Nusken and into the goal.

It was a disappointing performance from Arsenal’s central defenders, but the same could be said for the entire team wearing red, white, and black. Coach Eidevall made three substitutions during halftime to fix the starting lineup, including bringing Alessia Russo off the bench. Stina Blackstenius continued to struggle to convert opportunities for Arsenal in the second half, but the team as a whole had difficulty generating chances after falling behind. Their only real threats came in the first 10 minutes, with Hannah Hampton making saves on early shots from Kim Little and Catley near the goalpost.

Arsenal’s away support filled one end of Stamford Bridge, greatly contributing to the attendance of 32,000. They were rewarded with a consolation when Little’s shot deflected past Hampton from the edge of the box. By the end, Hayes turned to the crowd and asked for more. Chelsea’s hopes of a fifth consecutive title are back on track now, as James took control of the title race.

Source: independent.co.uk