da dobrowin： Stina Blackstenius' late winner in extra-time settled the clash at Molineux and ended the Blues' hopes of a clean sweep for their departing coach
da bet7： When Arsenal and Chelsea met in Sunday's Continental Cup final, it was largely billed as the first leg of a potential quadruple for the Blues as they tried to do something remarkable in Emma Hayes' final season in charge. But the day ended with the Gunners spoiling that dream of their London rivals with a 1-0 victory in extra-time, thus not only ensuring their season contains silverware, but also preserving their status as the only English club to have done the quadruple.
It was a final that started in a lively manner, Chelsea striker Mayra Ramirez seeing a goal ruled out for offside midway through the first half because of a handball in the build-up. That was the closest we got to a goal in a 45-minute period that was full of half-chances: a powerful strike from Lauren James forced Manuela Zinsberger into an early save; Hannah Hampton tipped a fierce strike from Katie McCabe over the bar; and both Blues star Eve Perisset and Arsenal defender Leah Williamson came up with big blocks before half-time, too.
Beth Mead's mis-hit was the first opening in the second period, with Melanie Leupolz blasting over from the edge of the box at the other end. Arsenal probably should've been ahead a few minutes later, though, when Cloe Lacasse was through on goal, only for her shot to be straight at Hampton. The biggest chance of the 90 minutes fell to Chelsea right near the end, as Lauren James opted to shoot rather than to square for a team-mate, but did so once the angle had closed on her as she raced away down the right.
A medical emergency surrounding Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum delayed the inevitable extra-time period and it was understandable that the game fell flat once she had been stretchered off after going down off the ball, but the Gunners battled hard and, perhaps driven on by what had happened to their team-mate, carved out a match-winning moment. Just minutes after she had missed a huge chance one-on-one, it fell to Stina Blackstenius and the Swedish striker made no mistake this time, firing past Hampton in the closing stages of extra-time to win the game.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Molineux…
Getty ImagesLOSER: Emma Hayes
Hayes' final season in charge of Chelsea will not end in a quadruple after her team fell short in the first leg of that challenge on Sunday. It was always going to be difficult to achieve given the Blues have never won the Champions League and will face holders Barcelona in the semi-finals, but the dream has died at an earlier hurdle in this Conti Cup final.
Chelsea beat the Gunners just 16 days ago and were the favourites ahead of this game, but for the second successive year, they were beaten by their London rivals in the showpiece event. There are still three trophies to be won by Hayes and her side, but to lose this game in the manner they did, so late on and having had chances themselves, will be frustrating.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWINNER: Arsenal's quadruple record
When Arsenal captain Kim Little was asked if she and her team had extra motivation to win this final in order to deny Chelsea that quadruple, she said she'd not thought of it like that. "But now you've said that," she added, "I think yes."
The Gunners' unique history has been preserved with this victory, and that will be as much of a delight to the club as the trophy, because it is an incredible achievement that all associated with Arsenal are so proud of. That it was their London rivals chasing a repeat of that feat just adds another layer to the result.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Lauren James
So often this season, James has been the difference for Chelsea in the big moments and the big games and it felt like that would be the case against on Sunday. She saw so much of the ball, more than any other forward on the pitch, and was constantly the Blues' most dangerous player.
However, a couple of poor decisions here and there meant the chances that fell to her, or the opportunities that opened up for her, were not capitalised on with the same ruthlessness and effectiveness that we have got used to seeing so far this campaign. It wasn't her day, but the 22-year-old will be better for the experience that she continues to accumulate.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Stina Blackstenius
Blackstenius has had her doubters over the years and yet, here she was once more, coming up with a huge moment in a huge game for Arsenal. Last year, her strike in this same final helped the Gunners turn the match around to win the competition, and she repeated the trick here, albeit in different circumstances.
It was only a few minutes earlier that Blackstenius had missed a huge chance, too, and so to keep her composure in the manner she did, at a stage of the game when the fatigue must've been really kicking in, was extremely impressive. Once again, she proved her worth and showed that she can be an extremely valuable member of this Arsenal team.