Chelsea takeaways as Kerr plays hero in controversial Arsenal draw

Cankovic adds spark in short stint on the pitch

For the most part, CFC looked like a shell of itself offensively, struggling to build from the back, and find any sort of quality service into the box. 17 shots and two of them on target is not a good conversion rate. Around the 80’ of the contest, Hayes was seeking some creativity from her substitutes with the time running out on the chance of evening the match at one apiece.

Serbian international Cankovic was brought on for Sophie Ingle in the 81’ to ignite some energy into the middle of the pitch along with Cuthbert to find a way to break down the Gunners’ backline. Having received the ball from Eve Perisset on the wing, Cankovic whipped in a world-class left-footed ball into an area where Kerr had a chance to make something happen. The ball found Kerr just outside the six-yard box where she fired a header through the hands of Manuela Zinsberger to shock Arsenal with less than 90 seconds remaining in regular time.

It marked Cankovic’s third assist in just six contests, but this time, the Serbian made an impact on the match by just being on the pitch for a few minutes. To be able to execute a ball like that into the box just minutes after coming on against a team that has frustrated the Blues all game long demonstrates how special of a player she truly is.

There may be games where she does not see the pitch, but what Hayes and the fans should know is that she does not need too much time to make an impact. Cankovic has been a revelation in the midfield since recovering from her injury early on in the season, and this just adds even more steam to a player that is bound to have a bright future ahead of her in blue.