These are the days Alessia Russo joined Arsenal for. In front of a new Women’s Super League record crowd of 59,042, the England striker’s double handed champions Chelsea their first defeat of the season and sparked the title race into life. It was a statement win for Arsenal and a momentous afternoon for Russo, following her transfer from Manchester United this summer. Perhaps now the power shift that move represented is starting to unfold, as Arsenal tore through Chelsea to race away with a crucial victory in a breathless, high-speed clash.
Russo’s sublime finish before half-time was the moment the Gunners began to ease clear and after a slow start to the season, Jonas Eidevall’s side have now won seven in a row. As Russo added to Amanda Ilestedt’s first-half header and Beth Mead’s composed finish, Arsenal flexed their strength and handed the champions their first league defeat since March. Russo’s late penalty to make it 4-1 also represented Chelsea’s heaviest WSL defeat since 2018.
