Chelsea takeaways as Kerr plays hero in controversial Arsenal draw

Keeping with a common theme, there is no shortage of controversy whenever the Blues meet up with the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium. Emma Hayes’ side returned to action in the Women’s Super League for the first time since holding off Reading 3-2 at Kingsmeadow in the snow.

Given the lead through a questionable penalty in the 57’, Arsenal looked like it was going to pull level with CFC at the top of the table. Jelena Cankovic’s world-class ball into the box just minutes before stoppage time found the head of Sam Kerr, who picked up right where she left off against Paris Saint-Germain in December, netting a clutch goal to seal a vital point for Chelsea.

Zecira Musovic got the nod for just her fifth start this season in all competitions, coming up with a plethora of massive saves to prevent the Gunners from landing a gut punch for Chels’. Only two shots found the target all day for the Blues while Arsenal totaled seven on frame.

On both sides of the ball, the match was extremely even with both clubs having their spells of quality in the contest, so despite the penalty controversy, a draw seemed like a fair result in the clash of the best of the best in the WSL. For the first time in quite a while, Guro Reiten was neutralized on the left-hand side, but Erin Cuthbert’s work rate in the middle of the pitch was once again remarkable to watch.

A draw keeps the title race between the top-three teams in the WSL very much alive. Exactly 11 matches in the WSL remain for Hayes’ squad including another meeting with Arsenal and Manchester United. Going out of a long break, it was a match many fans should have expected from the Blues offensively, but the game-clinching goal right at the death should eject the group with confidence heading into a revenge match against Liverpool at Kingsmeadow.

From a brisk afternoon in north London, here are the Chelsea takeaways from a highly contentious result between two bitter rivals:

Replay review is desperately needed in the women’s game once again

Almost any women’s football fan can make this kind of argument, but when it comes to Chelsea vs Arsenal at the Emirates, VAR should be a necessity given the number of questionable decisions in this fixture. Last season in the opening match of the league campaign, Beth Mead found the back of the net for the Gunners’ third goal of the afternoon, but upon replay, Mead was well offside, providing Arsenal with an advantage in the title race early on, and forcing the Blues to fight from behind nearly the rest of the way.

The goal emphasized the importance of quality officiating in the game of football, especially on the women’s side of things, and after the officiating crew in north London today called Niamh Charles for an extremely harsh penalty, there is a hope that the league and the FA can get together to patch up this problem in women’s football. Should there be more training involved for the referees in both the WSL and the Championship? That could be one solution, but as equality on both the men’s and women’s side continues to move in the right direction, it is time we begin to think about what tools we are providing the men’s side compared to what is given to the women in the same sport.

After the result to begin the Blues campaign last season, Hayes said that women were being treated as “second-class” citizens without the use of technology to assist in making close decisions. Arsenal could have very well scored a goal that was not the penalty if it was not for a plethora of world-class saves by Musovic, but at the end of the day, since it was nearly the only goal this cagey contest coughed up, it has to be a talking point at the end of the match.

The league has been pondering a low-cost alternative to video-assistant referees since the beginning of 2022, and after this match, it is clear, the time is now. Nobody wants to put the burden on the officials due to the fact that it is such a difficult job but with help, and useful technology, we all can stop talking about whether or not the flags should be raised, and more about the product on the pitch.

Musovic makes claim to be the starter going forward

As of right now, goalkeeper has to be one of the Blues’ most contentious positions on top of left back. Veteran Ann-Katrin Berger has started in 12 contests in all competitions so far this season, but after some questionable decision-making and mistakes between the sticks, highlighted by the gift to Real Madrid in the Champions League, Musovic was given the chance in the last two fixtures. After allowing four goals in her first 10 matches this season, Berger gave up three in her final two before the break.

In between are some sensational game-saving stops for Berger but given where she is at in her career, CFC has had a question mark in goal since the beginning of the campaign. Many argued Musovic to be the replacement when Berger moves on, and while the Swedish goalkeeper was never really challenged during her appearances in blue, Hayes gave Musovic an opportunity to show her quality against the best opposition out there domestically. Against PSG in December, Musovic only faced three shots, saving each of them.

The Swede has been used to getting the call against teams like Vllaznia, but transiting from that to a clash at the Emirates with the three-time WSL champions was going to give Musovic the first true test of her CFC career. Arsenal accumulated seven or more shots on target for the second straight league match and the only shot that the Swedish international let by her was a Kim Little penalty.

It was not just the six saves, it was the kind of saves that she was making that was making the fans and coaching staff rethink who should be the starting goalkeeper going forward. There was not much from either team offensively in the first half, but when the second half came around, the Swede was called into action. From an acrobatic save off the head of Lina Hurtig to swatting the ball to safety, Musovic stepped up big time for CFC when the team needed her the most. It was the most shots on target any opponent managed to create in any match against the Blues since the Conti Cup final loss against Manchester City.

Berger is still very much in the mix for the No. 1 goalkeeper spot given her experience, but after the display by the Swedish international on Sunday afternoon, should Hayes ride the hot hand going forward?

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.