Hayes and Eidevall tension clouds final meeting – Full Time with Jessy Parker Humphreys

Chelsea lost a third consecutive Continental Cup final as Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal late in extra time to ensure Arsenal retained the trophy. A tense game at Wolves’ Molineux was overshadowed by the collapse of Frida Maanum towards the end of normal time, but Arsenal rallied after a long stoppage to find a winner.

The match might have marked the final meeting between coaches Jonas Eidevall and Emma Hayes, and tensions spilled over as Hayes gave Eidevall a small push when he went over to shake her hand at the final whistle.

Hayes then spoke strongly about the way Eidevall had acted, referring to how he had behaved towards Erin Cuthbert, Chelsea’s captain on the day, during the game.

“It’s essential we role-model in the right way, but I’m not up for male aggression from the touchline and fronting up to players. That’s unacceptable. I was disappointed and I told Jonas that. I don’t think it’s OK to behave like that.

“He got a yellow card and probably should have been sent off. I’m all for competing to win, (but) I’ve never been booked in 12 years. I accept he’s a winner but his behaviour wasn’t acceptable.”

Eidevall demurred, saying that his frustration during the match had stemmed from a disagreement over whether to play a multi-ball system for the final. Chelsea had requested a single-ball system but with the clock ticking down and them chasing an equaliser, Cuthbert had gone to pick up a different ball to get the action restarted quickly.

“I don’t see it as a big thing,” he said. “I definitely don’t see myself as aggressive in that situation. That’s very irresponsible, putting that label on it.”

The incident was another chapter in what has been a fascinating rivalry between the two managers where the off-pitch jibes have been almost as eye-catching as the on-pitch match-ups. After two games this season where one manager had distinctly come out on top, it was fitting their potential final meeting was more of a chess match, with both teams looking nervous about making any mistakes early on.

Eidevall does have previous when it comes to how he acts on the sidelines.

Manchester City counterpart Gareth Taylor accused him of “bullying” the fourth official after his team’s 2-1 loss to Arsenal in the WSL in November, although there was no mention of Eidevall’s behaviour in the referee’s post-match report.

There was also an incident in Eidevall’s first season at Arsenal when he yelled in the face of then Manchester United striker Martha Thomas during a Continental Cup match, after a perceived high challenge. The FA declined to charge him for his behaviour.

Hayes’ reaction yesterday marked a rather ignominious end to her quest for a quadruple in her final season with Chelsea. Regardless of Eidevall’s actions during the match, she still pushed the opposition manager, and there are also question marks about her decisions during the game. Despite Chelsea playing their eighth game of the month, in comparison to Arsenal’s fifth, Hayes only made two substitutions before Arsenal’s goal with the opposition looking notably fresher as the match became increasingly transitional.

It is also the second high-profile incident of the month for Hayes, after she called relationships between players “inappropriate”. Hayes later said she regretted her choice of words.

There is no doubt that being Chelsea manager is a pressured job, exacerbated by the desire to succeed in her final season, but the U.S. role, which she begins at the start of June, is the most demanding in women’s football.

The attention on Hayes is not going to let up when her time at Chelsea finishes.

What you might have missed

All four contenders for Championship promotion won over the weekend, with Sunderland’s 3-0 defeat of Watford maintaining their top spot under pressure from second-placed Crystal Palace, whose 5-1 win at Durham kept them one point behind with a game in hand.

Four points separate Sunderland, Palace, Southampton and Charlton Athletic. With three games left to play, and all four teams having lost at least once in their last five, there could be plenty more twists to come.

Player of the week

Ella Toone continued her up-and-down season for Manchester United by coming up with two big goals in their 4-1 win against Everton.

The visitors had gone ahead in the 10th minute when Netherlands striker Katja Snoeijs latched onto a poor pass from Maya Le Tissier to goalkeeper Mary Earps. It took United a while to get back into the game — Millie Turner only scored the equaliser in the 57th minute — but two goals from Toone in five minutes soon after secured the win.

Sunday’s double means Toone is the first United Women’s player to reach 50 goals for the club.

(Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

Goal of the week

Nobody should have been surprised to see a bunny taking centre stage on Easter weekend but Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw’s spectacular goal for Manchester City in their 4-1 away win against Liverpool was an effortless reminder of her brilliance.

Shaw might be known for her dominance in the penalty area but this showed her at her technical best as she controlled a bouncing ball outside the box and cut in past one defender, before rocketing a shot into the top right-hand corner.

It means Shaw has had a goal contribution in her last nine WSL appearances. With 19 goals scored and four games to go, she has a chance of breaking the competition’s single-season record of 22, set by Vivianne Miedema in 2018-19 and matched by Rachel Daly last season.

Moment of the week

Aston Villa got a late equaliser against Leicester City to draw 2-2.

It was Leicester’s first match since manager Willie Kirk was sacked following a club investigation into an alleged relationship between him and one of their players.

Villa had taken the lead through Adriana Leon, only for poor defending — including conceding from a high turnover — saw them 2-1 down with 15 minutes of the 90 to go. But a clever finish from Rachel Daly drew them level as she contorted her body to volley in Jordan Nobbs’ cross.

Daly has struggled to replicate her form from last year as her expected goals (xG) overperformance of 2022-23 has regressed, but she helped her side to a point here.

(Morgan Harlow/Getty Images)

Elsewhere in Europe

Bayern Munich set up a final with Wolfsburg in Germany’s DFB-Pokal but needed penalties to beat Eintracht Frankfurt. The league leaders had gone ahead in the fourth minute with a penalty from Georgia Stanway but Geraldine Reuteler equalised for Frankfurt. Wolfsburg beat Essen 9-0 in the other semi-final.

In Spain, Barcelona got revenge on Levante for being the only team to hold them to a draw in the league this season by beating them 5-0. That gave Madrid CFF the opportunity to get into pole position for the final Champions League spot but a surprise 3-0 loss to Granada means just one point separates the three clubs gunning for third.

What’s next?

The players now head off on an international break, which includes the start of the 2025 European Championship qualifying competition for UEFA teams.

Defending champions England host Sweden, who they beat in the semi-finals en route to that triumph two years ago, at Wembley in their group opener on Friday, before heading to Dublin to play the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday. France are the other team in their group.

(Top photo: Getty Images)