The two Lionesses were missing as Jonas Eidevall's side lost to their Women's Super League rivals in Washington D.C., with the Blues impressing
It might have been pre-season and it might have been 3,000 miles from London, but Chelsea will have certainly still enjoyed ending their tour of the United States with a victory over local rivals Arsenal, as a thumping strike from summer signing Sandy Baltimore secured a 1-0 win for the Blues in Washington D.C. on Sunday.
Despite the final result, it was the Gunners who had the bigger first half chances, as fantastic run by Caitlin Foord was picked out by an equally brilliant pass from Rosa Kafaji, only for the Australia international to fire wide under pressure from Lucy Bronze. Foord had an even bigger opportunity to break the deadlock just before the break, but Zecira Musovic made up for her possession-conceding error with a huge save to deny the Matildas star.
Instead, it was Chelsea who scored the first, and only, goal of the game only three minutes after the interval, Baltimore finishing well after Maika Hamano robbed Kim Little of the ball in her own box.
Arsenal had chances to get back into the game – Laura Wienroither was presented with the ball in the Chelsea box by Niamh Charles, only for Nathalie Bjorn to make a huge block, while Alessia Russo chose to strike at goal from an angle when released by Mariona Caldentey, but should have squared for Frida Maanum instead of forcing a rather comfortable save out of Hannah Hampton. But the Gunners just could not find the goal that they needed.
That Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor chose to make regular substitutions throughout the match, finishing with an entirely different XI to the one with which she started, while Jonas Eidevall stuck more closely to his strongest line-up, will have pleased the Blues in particular, as they continue to build nicely ahead of a Women's Super League season which will consist of a title defence for the fifth year in a row.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Audi Field…
Getty ImagesWINNER: Sandy Baltimore
No area of this Chelsea squad is more competitive than in attack, with the depth and quality of the options at Bompastor's disposal leading many to question whether or not the signing of Baltimore was really necessary. The France international bolsters a frontline that can already count on Lauren James, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Guro Reiten, Maika Hamano, Aggie Beever-Jones, Mayra Ramirez and Catarina Macario. Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel, who both suffered ACL injuries at the beginning of 2024, will be back during the upcoming season, too.
But Baltimore showed why she is a valuable addition on Sunday as she scored the goal that allowed Chelsea to end their U.S. tour with a win. Occupying a more central role as opposed to the wide one that she played in for most of her last season at Paris Saint-Germain, and as a substitute in Chelsea's win over Gotham on Monday, she showed intelligence in her pressing, directness in her play and was in the right place at the right time to score the goal that decided the match.
The 24-year-old is going to have to work hard for her minutes in this big squad, and there is no better way to start than by getting off the mark early on, to catch the eye and get that confidence flowing.
AdvertisementLOSER: Beth Mead
It's never a good thing when a player has to pull out of the starting line-up after the warm-up, just as was the case for Beth Mead on Sunday. Arsenal have just 10 days until they face Rangers in their first Champions League qualifier, and while they will be big favourites to progress, they'll certainly want to have as fully fit a squad as possible available for it – especially if, as many expect, they face Atletico Madrid a few days later, with a place in the second qualifying round on the line.
That the club described Mead's withdrawal from the XI as a precaution should ease the concerns among fans and they will hope it means she is back before they know it.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Rosa Kafaji
This was Kafaji's first start for Arsenal after arriving from Hacken and yet, it feels like the No.10 position is hers to lose as the new campaign approaches. After a lively showing off the bench against the Washington Spirit last week, she was full of creativity, flair and skill in this match too, all the things you want from your playmaking midfielder.
Most of the good stuff that the Gunners showed against Chelsea came through Kafaji, including a perfectly-weighted pass for Foord that led to the first big chance of the game. That Arsenal looked poorer in the second half when they struggled to really get the talented Swede on the ball was telling, before she went off just before the hour.
Of course, Kafaji will have to work hard to get her minutes and there are some fantastic players she is competing with for that game time. Still, she has shown plenty of glimpses on this pre-season tour to impress Eidevall ahead of the new campaign.
USA TODAY SportsWINNER: Maika Hamano
In a similar vein to Baltimore, Hamano is out there, battling for minutes and showing why she deserves to continue to get opportunities in this upcoming season. On Sunday, just as was the case on Monday against Gotham, the young Japan international certainly caught the eye, arguably more so than any other Chelsea player as they closed out the U.S. tour with a win.
It was Hamano's alertness that led to the Blues' goal, the 20-year-old putting Little under pressure in her own box and winning possession back to create the attack that ended with Baltimore's thumping strike. She was a consistent livewire, a nuisance for the Arsenal players when they had the ball and always looked likely to create something.