Arsenal will miss out on a Wembley final after a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Chelsea on Sunday.
![Arsenal defeated by Chelsea in FA Cup semi-final 1 BOREHAMWOOD, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Leah Williamson of Arsenal applauds fans after their sides defeat during the Vitality Women's FA Cup Semi Final match between Arsenal Women and Chelsea Women at Meadow Park on April 17, 2022 in Borehamwood, England. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)](https://dailycannon.com/static/uploads/2022/04/arsenal-women-v-chelsea-women-vitality-womens-fa-cup-semi-final-1-scaled-e1650285112517.jpg)
The Gunners were not clinical enough and did not take their chances while Chelsea did. It’s as simple as that.
Arsenal created multiple chances in the first half but did not managed to put the ball in the back of the net.
Beth Mead had a clear chance that went wide before Chelsea scored by Guro Reiten with a long range shot. Ji So-Yun then added a second from long range five minutes into the second half and Chelsea closed the game.
Jonas Eidevall had decided to spring a surprise by playing left-footed Katie McCabe to deal with Guro Reiten.
There was no other surprise in the starting XI which was : Zinsberger; McCabe, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Catley; Walti, Little; Mead, Miedema, Foord; Blackstenius.
It is clear that the Arsenal manager has found his starting XI, save for a tactical change like Sunday’s.
This summer’s transfer window will be interesting as you would expect a few in and many out among those bench regulars. The squad will need to be improved to be able to compete at the highest level.
This defeat means Arsenal have missed out on three out of their four targets this season.
They also lost in the FA Women’s Cup final from the previous season, that was played in December 2021.
A trophyless season might be on the cards, should Chelsea manage to hold on to their single point lead in the title race.
Should Arsenal win their remaining four games, they will finish with their best ever points tally of 55, beating the 54 reached under Joe Montemurro in the title season with only 20 games.
Interestingly, last season’s runners-up Manchester City finished also with 55 points with Chelsea taking the title on 57 points.
There is no doubt that Eidevall’s first season will be an improvement on the last couple of seasons, with the team likely to finish in second place, rather than in third place.
At the same time, there will always be a feeling of missed opportunities, especially if the season ends up trophyless.