Drama as Emma Hayes confront, shoves Arsenal boss and accuses him of ‘male aggression’ after Chelsea defeat
Drama as Emma Hayes confront, shoves Arsenal boss and accuses him of ‘male aggression’ after Chelsea defeat
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes appeared to shove her Arsenal counterpart Jonas Eidevall following their Women’s League Cup defeat on Sunday, accusing him of showing ‘male aggression’ on the touchline.
The Gunners secured back-to-back cup wins and their seventh in total at Molineux with Stina Blackstenius scoring a dramatic winner in extra time after 116 minutes of play.
Following the final whistle, Eidevall approached Hayes as she entered the pitch but appeared to be pushed out of the way by the Blues boss.
An unhappy Hayes explained post-match she was disappointed with Eidevall’s behaviour on the touchline during the game.
‘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,’ she told BBC Sport.
‘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 suggested the row was over the use of a multi-ball system in the game.
‘Not much,’ Eidevall said. ‘We had a discussion before the game where both teams have to agree on whether they are going to play with multi-ball system or not.
‘Chelsea said they wanted to play with one ball and we said we wanted to play with multi-ball and then when it suits them in the last few minutes of the game, they want to take another ball to take a quick throw in and I only said “you guys wanted to play with one ball.”
‘So, it’s not my problem. It’s all good I think, it’s just in the heat of the moment.’
Hayes will leave Chelsea at the end of the season after 12 trophy-laden years in west London, winning six FA WSL titles, five Women’s FA Cups, two FA Women’s League Cups, one FA Women’s Spring Series trophy and one FA Women’s Community Shield.
Defeat on Sunday against Arsenal ends their hopes of winning a quadruple in Hayes’ final season in charge.
Late on in normal time, play was paused after Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum collapsed on the pitch. The game was stopped for seven minutes as she received oxygen and was stretchered off the pitch. Shortly after, Arsenal confirmed the Norwegian was ‘conscious and stable’.
