Arsenal Women vs Chelsea Women. Women's Super League.
Emirates StadiumAttendance46,881.
Match report and free highlights as Sam Kerr scored a late leveller to steal a share of the spoils against dominant Arsenal; Kim Little's contentious penalty gave the hosts the advantage; Niamh Charles conceded the spot-kick, but contact on Caitlin Foord first took place outside area
Monday 16 January 2023 08:59, UK
Sam Kerr stole the show by levelling late for Chelsea to cancel out Kim Little's contentious penalty in an entertaining 1-1 draw with rivals Arsenal, leaving the Women's Super League title race wide open.
"1-0 to the Arsenal", a chant synonymous with the Gunners, rang around Emirates Stadium as Arsenal came agonisingly close to a rare Chelsea scalp, only for Jelena Cankovic to tee up Kerr in the final moments of the game.
"It's a big goal in the title race," Kerr said post-match. "Today we needed something. Jelena came on and delivered it."
Substitute Cankovic ultimately made the difference for below-par Chelsea - who only had two shots on target to Arsenal's seven - by providing Kerr with the service she had been craving all game.
The striker got in between Leah Williamson and Rafaelle in the 89th minute before powering a bullet header beyond the grasp of Manuela Zinsberger to snatch a point for Emma Hayes' side and abruptly silence the 46,811 strong Emirates crowd.
"Little details can be decisive in a game like this," Jonas Eidevall conceded, after Arsenal missed the chance to draw level on points with league leaders Chelsea.
The Blues maintain their three-point advantage at the top as a result, but Arsenal have a game in hand.
Kerr had been largely anonymous all game, but a striker of her quality only needs one chance to stamp authority on a contest, despite manager Hayes describing Chelsea's approach play as "woeful" after the game.
The hosts controlled much of the tie but could not find the finishing touch until captain Little fired home from the penalty spot in the 57th minute, confidently sending Zecira Musovic the wrong way after Caitlin Foord was halted clumsily by Niamh Charles.
There was no doubt over the award of the foul, however on closer inspection, and multiple replays, the contact initially happened outside the box. "Looking again, the collision is outside, so it's maybe a little bit fortuitous," Sue Smith said on Sky Sports' live coverage.
Referee Emily Heaslip was quick to point to the spot, while Little promptly despatched the spot kick, as Arsenal finally made their dominance count for something tangible.
Steph Catley's effort from distance was then tipped onto the crossbar by Musovic, who was kept busy throughout, before the resilient Blues came alive in the final minutes.
Cankovic made a near-instant impact from the bench, sending a precise long ball into the area for Kerr to neatly nod home and snatch a precious point.
"The good news is you can sell some more papers and we can keep the conversation going until the end," Hayes remarked, when quizzed about the unpredictability of this season's title race.
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall:
"Little details can be decisive in a game like this. When I look at the game overall I think we deserve to win because we created the better chances. We were the better team out there.
"You have to work in every second, every moment, when you're playing against quality players like Chelsea have. All in all, from a performance perspective, I'm proud of the way we played.
"We have new players coming in, so we need time to build relationships. Us looking this good in this game, we can build on that. I would have liked to win today, we deserved to win, so I'm disappointed with that but I'm very happy with the performance.
Speaking about the impact of the Emirates crowd, he added: "Come back - you were brilliant. It was a great atmosphere. If we can build that together, that's the togetherness we want."
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes:
"Look, I think we can spend a lot of time talking about different rules and laws in the game. The law in the game is if there is the first contact outside the box and it is carried into the box then it's a free-kick.
"The referee gave a decision for a tangling of legs in the box - which I think is impossible to avoid when a player is already going down.
"The referee has made the decision, let's get on with it and not keeping talking about it. VAR needs to be in the game whether it's to confirm or deny it. That not anything we haven't already said."
Chelsea striker Sam Kerr:
"It's a big goal in the title race. Today we needed something. Jelena come on and delivered a great ball. I knew there was going to be one moment and to just keep my cool when it came.
"As a striker, you want to be in the game as much as possible. We knew it was going to be that type of game - they are really good defensively. It's not easy to come here but we stayed in the game.
"We've got a really strong squad. Emma [Hayes] has got the luxury of picking lots of very good players from week to week - it's hard to pick an XI. We always know we have good substitutes coming off the bench and they came big for us today.
"There were so many good performances out there today, that's why the game was tied. We need to be better for 90 minutes. We have a huge amount of respect for Arsenal so we're happy with the point."
Sky Sports' Laura Hunter:
Let's be clear, Arsenal delivered the far classier performance. They pressed with togetherness, they created clever openings, they interrogated Chelsea's title defence. But the Blues behaved like champions - it's what they do. They stayed in the game by any means possible.
At times, it was desperate. Arsenal were asking all the questions, but only made a breakthrough via a debatable penalty decision. For all their dominance they couldn't deliver a killer blow from open play.
That's why Emma Hayes will go home far happier than Jonas Eidevall. This result will feel like a defeat for Arsenal, albeit without the realities of falling further behind their closest title rivals. This was the chance to steal a march. To wrestle ascendancy. But Chelsea don't relinquish control easily, if ever. They are schooled in resilience and mental toughness.
"The tactical application of the team is the thing I'm most happy about," Hayes said afterwards. If their game plan was indeed to delay and frustrate before pouncing late it was executed to absolute perfection. They know how to win, but more importantly, they also know how not to lose.
Arsenal face a trip to Brighton next, with that game taking place on January 22, kick-off 6.45pm, live on Sky Sports, while Chelsea host Liverpool earlier in the day, kick-off 12.30pm.
