Arsenal Women win the Conti Cup final 3-1 over Chelsea

In the midst of what has proven to be a very frustrating season for Arsenal Women, they mustered a massive 3-1 victory over Chelsea to win the Conti Cup.

Arsenal are currently fourth in the league, five points behind Sunday’s opponents Chelsea and are missing their two best players with long-term injuries. It’s been a lot of doom and gloom for supporters recently, with many fans starting to question manager Jonas Eidevall, but a trophy will likely turn that perception around.

Arsenal Women win the Conti Cup final 3-1 over Chelsea

https://twitter.com/ArsenalWFC/status/1632433539714097153?s=20

Chelsea took the lead early via Sam Kerr’s header in the second minute, leading to many fans dreading what looked like would be a long afternoon at Selhurst Park. Arsenal woke up after that goal, however, and 14 minutes later, Stina Blackstinius brought the Gunners level in the final. After that equaliser, Arsenal didn’t look back for the rest of the half, with the Gunners winning a penalty that Kim Little calmly converted. Then, with the last kick of the first half, an own goal from Niamh Charles handed Eidevall’s side a 3-1 lead.

That advantage would prove to be enough for the north London side to hang on, with Chelsea unable to put the ball in the net again to reduce the deficit. Chelsea controlled the second half effectively, and Arsenal had some serious issues in retaining possession, but a huge half from the defence kept the Blues quiet. By the end of the match, the Gunners were gassed but were able to see the match out for a massive win.

https://twitter.com/ArsenalWFC/status/1632425179111366657?s=20

A trophy in a season like this is incredible. It could be excused if Arsenal came up empty this season when they lost both Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema to ACL injuries. This team has shown grit and belief, and they’ve come away with a trophy.