Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall said he "couldn't care less" who lifts the Women's Super League trophy this season between Manchester City and Chelsea and that his side will maintain the integrity of the league before facing City next weekend.
Eidevall was speaking after his side's 1-1 draw with Everton on Sunday afternoon. The Gunners dominated the affair with more than 60% possession by the game’s end along with 17 shots at goal compared to Everton’s 11. But the devil is in the detail and Arsenal could manage only six shots on target, reflecting the wastefulness which defined much of the contest.
England striker Alessia Russo finally broke the deadlock with 10 minutes of normal time remaining as the Lioness pounced on the rebound from Courtney Brosnan’s initial save. The goal marked Russo’s 10th of the season, the most in the squad. Her exploits looked to suffice until the fifth minute of injury time when a failure to clear an Everton corner left the door open for 16-year-old Issy Hobson to head home, securing a last-gasp point and making her the youngest-ever goalscorer in the WSL.
The defeat all but confirms that Arsenal are officially out of the title race, depending on if City beat relegation-threatened Bristol City on Sunday evening.
Arsenal next face City in the league but Eidevall poured cold water on any suggestions that the ability to impact the outcome of the title race has any bearings on their approach to the match.
Wenger breaks silence on Arsenal visit as he doubles down on title prediction
"It is really important for us to finish the season strongly, we haven’t won at Manchester City for a long time and I would very much like to change that," he told Arseblog. "We have an obligation to the league and all the teams competing, we know we will have a strong vote in that sense. Every team needs to do their very best and in the end, the best team is going to win the league and that is fair."
He added: "Me personally, I couldn’t care less whether Chelsea or Manchester City win it, I don’t have any preferences there. From our perspective, we need to do our very best in all games to make sure that the league is as fair as possible."
Issy Hobson celebrates her last-gasp equaliser (Photo by Emma Simpson - Everton FC/Everton FC via Getty Images)Arsenal struggled against a compact and tenacious Everton on Sunday. Asked about the lack of cohesion and fluidity in the performance, Eidevall said: “A lot was down to external factors. It was a very dry pitch, especially in the first half, I think they watered it at half-time. The wind had a big factor in the second half, they influenced the game.
“We still played our way into many good situations and we need to be better in our effectiveness with chances today and it shouldn’t come down to defending a corner in the last minute or not.”
Eidevall also quelled concerns that Leah Williamson's substitution at half-time and subsequent replacement by defender Laia Codina was anything more than precautionary.
Leah Williamson was substituted at half-time (Photo by Lewis Storey - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)“It wasn’t a knee injury with Leah, but there was a concern that we could aggravate it if we continue to load it,” he said. “That’s why that decision was made.”
Eidevall called on his bench as he bid to break the deadlock earlier. Pressed on why striker Vivianne Miedema didn’t come on for Arsenal as they struggled to find the back of the net, the Arsenal boss said: “We were in a situation where we were winning 1-0 and we had a couple of players we needed to have an eye on and we only had one substitution left and a lot of different scenarios. "The players that were on the bench were able to come on but it was about picking the right moment for it.”
and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
