Thompson goal enough to give Chelsea feisty derby win over Arsenal

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea beat Arsenal in a feisty encounter at Stamford Bridge to continue their steady start to the Women's Super League season.

USA forward Alyssa Thompson scored the only goal as Arsenal were once again punished for an uninspired attacking performance.

The result leaves the Gunners trailing WSL leaders Manchester City by seven points just four weeks into the season - and the two sides meet next Sunday (16:30 BST).

Chelsea have won three of their opening four matches and looked fairly comfortable defending against their London rivals.

They did not create as much as their opponents and were sloppy at times in possession, but the Blues still carried a threat and made it count late in the first half.

Thompson followed up after Keira Walsh's powerful strike was parried by goalkeeper Anneke Borbe and slotted the ball into the roof of the net.

That meant Sonia Bompastor's side were able to sit back in the second half and see the game out, frustrating Arsenal further as they continued to struggle in attack.

Chelsea are third, two points behind City, and extended their unbeaten run in the WSL to 12 games.

Chelsea analysis: Blues deliver perfect gameplan

It has been a solid start to the season for Chelsea, who were held to a frustrating draw by Aston Villa on the opening weekend but have since gone on to pick up three successive victories.

They are keeping up the pressure on City, who remain the only team to have won all of their WSL matches so far.

This was Chelsea's biggest test yet and they passed it well, nailing Bompastor's gameplan and taking advantage of a nervy and out-of-sorts Arsenal.

The Blues had opportunities to extend their lead through striker Melvine Malard and had to be resilient as Arsenal's pressure grew late on - but Chelsea looked assured and close to their best defensively.

They were without several players because of injury, but were boosted by the return of England winger Lauren James and midfielder Walsh, who was forced off with a minor injury in their Champions League game on Wednesday.

Chelsea's squad have been managed well so far and this result will be a big boost as they look to regain the WSL title.

Their delight was on show at full-time as former Arsenal star Katie McCabe, booed by the visiting fans throughout, hugged her new manager Bompastor passionately.

Arsenal analysis: Same old problems for Gunners

Pressure was on Arsenal after successive draws against Manchester United and Crystal Palace, meaning they were already playing catch-up in the WSL title race.

With leaders City up next, it could get even worse for the Gunners, who look stuck in a rut and stale in front of goal.

Renee Slegers' side dominated much of the first half without really creating any clear-cut chances - forced into taking shots from distance and shuffling the ball around the box.

They did hit the post twice but both were from tight angles and rarely tested goalkeeper Hannah Hampton in a first half that promised more than it delivered for the visitors.

Arsenal improved in the second half as Slegers made attacking substitutions, but Chelsea stood firm and did their job defensively.

In the end, the Gunners had 19 shots but only two on target - a tally Chelsea tripled despite having less entries in the final third.

There was also worrying confusion from Arsenal's players with their positions at times throughout as Kim Little switched roles in midfield and Alessia Russo dropped back having started as a striker.

When asked about the confusion, Slegers said: "That happened the same time as [Emily Fox] going down and we had to change shape for one minute, then get back into shape after.

"That was the discussion and it maybe looked more than it was as we just had to get the message out as quickly as possible."

It has been the story of Arsenal's season so far - dominating games and having numerous efforts on goal but failing to capitalise, eventually dropping points.

It was chaotic at times from Arsenal, who know their hopes of winning the WSL title could already be hanging in the balance just four weeks into the season.

"Confidence is something that fluctuates. The [players] know who they are and what they can bring," added Slegers.

"There are always phases in the season and different things you need to work on. It's important we keep any pressure away from the players because we believe in them.

"They can be ruthless in front of goal and they can score. It's really important we keep that simplicity and clear minds for the players."

Player of the match

A. Thompson
7.90
12 A. Thompson
7.90
2 E. Carpenter
7.67
21 K. Walsh
7.62
22 L. Bronze
7.58
32 L. Potter
7.55
24 H. Hampton
7.44
15 K. McCabe
7.33
26 K. Buchanan
7.16
19 W. Kaptein
7.07
9 M. Malard
6.83
6 S. Nüsken
6.73
10 L. James
6.64
33 A. Beever-Jones
6.60
5 V. Buurman
6.59
11 S. Baltimore
6.51
Back to team tabs

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.

More on this story