Arsenal secured a dramatic 1-0 victory over Chelsea in extra time of the Continental Cup final at Molineux Stadium on Sunday, retaining their trophy but facing a major scare in the process.
The match itself was a tense affair, with both sides struggling to break through resolute defences. Chelsea thought they had opened the scoring in the 21st minute through Mayra Ramirez, but a VAR check revealed a handball by Erin Cuthbert in the build-up. The Blues continued to press, with Lauren James a constant threat, but Manuela Zinsberger in the Arsenal goal stood firm.
The game took a worrying turn in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time. Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum collapsed on the pitch and received immediate medical attention. The stadium fell silent as players from both teams looked on anxiously. After a seven-minute delay, Maanum was stretchered off the field with oxygen support, replaced by Alessia Russo. Thankfully, Arsenal later confirmed that Maanum was “conscious, talking and in a stable condition.”
Despite how unsettling it was, Arsenal managed to regroup and find a winner in extra time. Stina Blackstenius, a close friend of Maanum, became the hero with a composed finish in the 116th minute. The goal sparked jubilant celebrations from the Arsenal fans, who had endured a rollercoaster of emotions.
“It’s always really hard,” Blackstenius said after the game. “She’s a teammate and a friend to all of us. We care so much about her. You worry a bit when stuff like this happens. We said we wanted to do this for her, to get this win for her because she couldn’t be with us at that point.
“I’m really really happy about the win. It was a long game, a tough game but we got a win in the end and now we can celebrate with the fans.”
This victory extends Arsenal’s record haul in the Continental Tyres League Cup to seven trophies. However, the celebrations were undoubtedly muted by concerns for Maanum’s well-being. The Gunners will be hoping for a full and speedy recovery for their midfielder.
This was the seventh meeting between these two sides in just 15 months, and the familiarity between them seemed to lead to a somewhat cagey affair. The quality of play improved in spurts, with both sides creating chances but failing to convert.
The final whistle, naturally, sparked contrasting emotions between the managers. While Arsenal celebrated their trophy win, a heated exchange erupted between the managers, with Emma Hayes pushing Jonas Eidevall after a disagreement.
Emma Hayes pushing Jonas Eidevall at the end… 😬 pic.twitter.com/yUjE99WsXw
— Fanzine WSL (@FanzineWSL) March 31, 2024
Hayes said of the incident, “I think there’s a way to behave on the side of the pitch and not for the first time, I’ve been in women’s football a long time and I don’t think we should tolerate male aggression like we did today.
“Fronting up or squaring up to a player is something that’s unacceptable. I’ve never been booked in 12 years of my career but I think there’s a way to behave on the touchline. He received a yellow card but perhaps should have been more.”
Eidevall, meanwhile, explained his side. He said when told of the ‘male aggression’ comment specifically, “Mmm… Okay. My word on what was happening would be that before the game we had a discussion between the clubs about whether to use one ball or multi-ball system.
“In this situation, Arsenal said multi-ball, Chelsea said one ball. The decision was to play the final on a one ball system. The ball goes out of play, the Chelsea player wants a new ball to take a quick throw-in and I said ‘we play with only one ball and you guys were the ones who decided that’.
“Obviously it now drives all kinds of emotions in there, nothing more, nothing less. I can’t see that I did anything, had any form of contact with anyone – either a player or a coach. That was it.
“To be honest I can’t really take it seriously [being called the aggressor]. I can’t really take it seriously.”