Arsenal win puts pressure on Chelsea ahead of Champions League tie | OneFootball

Arsenal produced a five-star display to defeat West Ham 5-0 and strengthen their push for Champions League qualification and pile pressure on Chelsea before quarter-final clash.

With four games to go, Manchester City are extremely likely to win the league as they hold an eight point lead over Manchester United. They are nine points clear of Chelsea and eleven points clear of Arsenal.

The West Ham game was impressive, not least because there was rotation in preparation for the Champions League quarter-final.

Sophie Harwood finally made her debut after months on the bench and led the line at No 9 despite being a defender. It was striking that the side which finished the game had so many players out of position yet still functioned smoothly.

Chloe Kelly scored a hat-trick and Smila Holmberg was superb at right back and later on the wing.

Although the fixture looked straightforward on paper, it was not, but the Arsenal players made it appear comfortable through their dominance. That kind of performance should not be understated, it is the mark of a team in control and playing with maturity, something they have been building all season.

Since winning the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, their confidence has clearly grown and last season’s Champions League triumph no longer looks like a one-off.

Arsenal have two games in hand on each of the three teams above them. One win from those fixtures would be enough to move them above Chelsea and United into second place.

It is notable that Chelsea are in real trouble in terms of Champions League qualification, as they are effectively in fourth. Their final league match will be a showdown with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge that could decide who finishes third.

Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images

The Champions League quarter-final between Arsenal and Chelsea will see a depleted Chelsea side, with injuries, the Asian Cup and questionable squad management leaving them short of options, while Arsenal are also affected by the Asian Cup and injuries.

Renee Slegers has, however, had greater scope to rotate her squad.

As title holders, Arsenal are slight favourites, their recent form stronger than Chelsea’s.

Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images

They need to establish a healthy lead on Tuesday, with the Australian players Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter for Chelsea, and Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley and Kyra Cooney Cross for Arsenal, landing in the UK on Monday and unlikely to feature after a 24-hour flight.

All five should be available for the second leg and will add depth to both sides, particularly Chelsea.

It is unquestionably easier to reach the Champions League league phase as runners-up than by repeating last season’s overall victory. Even so, eliminating Chelsea in the quarter-final would give the Gunners a significant psychological lift and deal a severe blow to the Blues in their own pursuit of a Champions League place.