Arsenal clinched the Conti Cup title after conceding early and put in a valiant display to come out victorious against title rivals Chelsea.
Emma Hayes' side had the better of the Gunners last week in the FA Cup, but this time Arsenal were prevalent. Kim Little, Stina Blackstenius and Rafaelle Souza were all on target to guide Jonas Eidevall to his first trophy in North London.
Chelsea has experienced a similar outcome to last year, with the hopes of a dream 'quadruple' fractured as they hunt for the WSL and the UEFA Women's Champions League.
-
Desire and intent:
If there was one thing that Arsenal did tremendously, it was most notably the effort they put in. Their mindset in contrast to previous performances has been a breath of fresh air for the Gunners, proving they can perform when needed.
Having lost to Chelsea and Man City as well as seeing out a bore draw against West Ham, the Blues were arguably the favourites to lift the trophy. But all 14 players in red and white gave it their all, whether it be defensively to keep the talented duo of Sam Kerr and Lauren James quiet or to test what had been a very strong and experienced Chelsea backline.
It comes a week after Eidevall was quoted saying that 'Chelsea were just brutally efficient, and we were not.' The Gunners were persistent in attack, creating a flurry of chances even after creating a two-goal lead. Caitlin Foord will feel as if she could have contributed to a potential fourth when she was taken down in the area but referee Kirsty Dowle didn't seem to spot the offence as a penalty.
-
Trust in Little:
At 32 years of age, Kim Little is still a prominent figure in the Arsenal side. The midfielder has five goals across all competitions this season and has formed a dominant pairing with Lia Walti and Frida Maanum.
But the former Scotland international has that big-game status where she doesn't amount to the pressure that is on her. Two times she has come out the better in penalties against Chelsea in the space of three months.
The Arsenal captain is an iconic name across fans and is hoping that she can guide her side to even more domestic and continental success as they face big fixtures in both the WSL and the UWCL this month.
-
Couldn't guard against complacency:
Emma Hayes complained she was 'very, very disappointed with the complacency' that her side showed in the 3-1 defeat. She said that Chelsea 'looked like a team that had won a lot', but couldn't take advantage of an early lead.
Guro Reiten's spectacular cross on the left-hand side found the Australian international who prodded it home within two minutes to give the Blues a crucial goal in the opening stages.
But the league leaders were poor from then on, failing to capitalise on the majority of their chances and were caught out by the intensity of Arsenal's defence, which was marshalled excellently by Rafaelle and England captain Leah Williamson.
-
Same situation, same outcome:
The scenario, the scoreline, the manner of the scoreline. Chelsea was in almost a replica of the situation they were in last season. Sam Kerr's goal handed the Blues the 1-0 lead against Manchester City in the 2022 Conti Cup final, only to be ousted by a Caroline Weir brace and a goal from Ellen White. The scoreline? 3-1.
It seemed that Chelsea was going to rectify it this season, on arguably some of the best form they have been on under Hayes. Their last defeat was to Liverpool in September, which says a lot about their statement of intent regarding how they were approaching all competitions this year.
However, their statement of intent seemed to crumble at Selhurst Park. Three goals were conceded, and a chance at the lucrative quadruple spoiled at the first obstacle.
Now the Blues turn their attention to the competitions that they are progressing in, as do Arsenal who will be boosted by the result and have an incredibly tough fixture against Bayern Münich in the Champions League.