Late Sam Kerr Header Denies Arsenal Crucial Women’s Super League Victory

In the pivotal Barclays Women’s Super League encounter at the Emirates Stadium between the top two teams, Arsenal and Chelsea ended up with a point apiece in a tight, tactical encounter played in front of 46,811 spectators in North London which leaves the title race still firmly in the balance.

A 57th-minute penalty kick from Arsenal captain Kim Little looked as it would be enough to separate the sides, until Australian striker Sam Kerr scored a dramatic late equalizer which leaves Chelsea three points ahead of their nearest challengers at the summit of the English top flight as we approach the halfway point of the season. Arsenal have one match in hand over the champions and will draw level on points with Chelsea should they win that game.

Arsenal began on the front foot, dominating possession in an attempt to draw their opponents out before getting in behind them. Chelsea’s early openings stemmed from mistakes by Rafaelle who was twice caught on the ball leading to counter-attacks. From the first of those, Lauren James effortlessly drifted forward before firing a left-foot shot just wide of the far post.

The penalty was awarded in the early stages of the second half as Arsenal stepped up the pace of their game. Australian winger, Caitlin Foord raced into the penalty area and was barged over by Chelsea right-back Niamh Charles. Contact began outside the penalty area. In the absence of Video Assistant Referees (VAR), which are currently not used in the Women’s Super League, referee Emily Heaslip, awarded a penalty.

Speaking to me after the game, Foord was unsure herself where the offense took place. “To be fair, I haven’t even watched it back. I knew I got fouled, if it was inside the box or outside the box, that’s not up to me. I obviously just wanted to try and create something. I did. At the end of the day it was penalty, so I take it.”

Arsenal captain, Kim Little, returning as a starter after injury had ruled her out of playing before Christmas, cooly sent Chelsea goalkeeper Zećira Mušović the wrong way to score her 52nd goal in the Women’s Super League. Her team has incredibly never lost any of the 42 league matches in which she has scored, winning 38 and now drawing four.

Chelsea threw everything at their opponents thereafter but it was not until the last minute of normal time that they equalized when the league’s top scorer in the past two seasons, Sam Kerr headed home a right-wing cross from Jelena Čanković, her 48th goal in the Women’s Super League in 57 games.

Kerr’s goal was also her 17th headed goal in the competition, a league record she now shares with her former team-mate Beth England who earlier left Chelsea for Tottenham Hotspur for a record transfer fee between two Women’s Super League teams. Later in the day, Rachel Williams also equalled that record with her goal from a header in Manchester United’s 6-0 demolition of Liverpool.

Arsenal defender Leah Williamson explained to me after the game why Kerr is so deadly in the air. “Her movement’s obviously excellent. She rises high, she did well to get away. It’s probably on us, we’re in a low block, we should be defending that.”

Kerr’s Australian team-mate in the Arsenal side, Foord said “I think that’s exactly why she is so special, you can’t stop her. I don’t think anyone can. Obviously we see it first hand with the national team but to play against her as well, you really can see how hard it is, you knew she would get one chance like that and you can’t let it happen because it will end up in a goal.”

The match was also significant for both teams who wore black armbands to pay their respects to the death of June Mead, the mother of Arsenal forward Beth Mead, and the former Chelsea striker and, later manager, Gianluca Vialli, who both succumbed to cancer.

Williamson who in the past few few weeks has been awarded an OBE by King Charles III, as well as being voted into the IFFHS World Team of the Year and nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2022, told me that all of that pales into insignificance against Mead’s loss.

“It’s good to be reflective and what we walked out on the pitch for today was Beth and her mum. I’m feeling very grateful that this is my job. I’ve been put in a position, I’ve been in the stadium with my family in the stands. All of that other stuff is lovely, but ulmately I play a team sport and being out there today with them is the highlight of all of it.”