3 Takeaways from Conti Cup Final loss: not the real Chelsea

Gunners take the game right at the Blues

That was not Emma Hayes’ Chels‘. In and out of possession, the Blues lacked that consistent energy in order to beat quality opponents like Arsenal. 66 percent pass accuracy by CFC tells the entire story of how much pressure the west London side was under throughout the match. It was the performance in terms of pass accuracy since last season’s FA Cup final win over City at Wembley.

The Gunners were first to nearly every 50-50 ball. CFC seemed frustrated at times, compiling the mistake with a foul immediately after. It was a relentless attacking effort for the north London outfit in the first half, repeatedly going at a defense that was reeling by the minute. Hayes has continued to preach the words, “serial winning”. If a team, like the Blues wins as much as they do, there are going to be days like Sunday afternoon.

Arsenal was desperate to get back on track with its form going through an uncharacteristic regression as of late. It should be a wake-up call for Hayes’ team as the next fixture is right around the corner in the Women’s Super League on Wednesday against Brighton at home.

Some may be surprised by the sudden aggression from the Gunners, but in a rivalry game with a trophy up for grabs, they knew the most recent outings would not cut it. The Blues had been unbeaten against their northern rivals over the last five games, and it showed. Hayes’ side had been there and done that while Arsenal was still on the hunt for its first major trophy since 2019.