Jonas Eidevall’s Arsenal could still make season worse for Emma Hayes and Chelsea after ending quadruple hopes
It was Arsenal who dealt the first blow to Chelsea's hopes of a fairy-tale ending to Emma Hayes' final season in charge.
The Gunners defended the Continental Tyres League Cup as they scraped to a 1-0 victory over the Blues, ultimately ensuring there would be no clean sweep of trophies for Hayes.
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Since then, Chelsea's season has unravelled.
They were knocked out of the FA Cup in a shock semi-final 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, who recorded their first ever win over the Blues.
And while their Champions League campaign looked set for glory when they took a 1-0 lead over Barcelona in the opening leg, it was not to be for the Blues and they slumped to a 2-0 defeat in front of a sold-out Stamford Bridge.
With their Cup hopes over, it seemed that a competitive WSL title race would be Chelsea's last hope for silverware.
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The Blues have have won the WSL every year since 2019, and the idea of Hayes not walking away with the trophy in her final season was unthinkable - until now.
It was a seven-goal-thriller against this season's overachievers Liverpool that sunk Chelsea's ship in the end, as they found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-3 score line and no longer in control of their own destiny.
Instead, the control passes to Manchester City who have not won the WSL since 2016, but who now sit six points clear at the top of the table.
With just two rounds of matches to go - and one extra for Chelsea and Tottenham - Man City know that victory in their remaining games will now secure them the title.
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But it is here that Arsenal come into the equation.
Man City's final game is against Aston Villa, a side who have struggled to pick up any kind of momentum after a fantastic last season, and City will feel confident about coming away with the points.
Before that though, Man City have a huge hurdle to overcome as they host Arsenal on Sunday, May 5, live on talkSPORT 2 from 2:15pm.
Having suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Gunners in the reverse fixture in November - one of just two defeats City have had this season - Arsenal are more than capable of causing an upset.
If Arsenal defeat Man City, then Chelsea's loss to Liverpool may not have been quite so damaging indeed as both the title-chasers will have suffered three losses.
But if Eidevall's side lose, then Hayes' chances of winning the WSL shrink considerably.
Nothing but a City loss to Villa and some heavy scoring from Chelsea in their last three games will allow them to close both the points gap and the goal difference between the two.
Come Sunday, Hayes and Chelsea will find themselves in the unusual position where they are praying for their north London rivals to do them something a favour.
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Manchester City vs Arsenal is live on talkSPORT 2 on Sunday 5 May from 2:15pm.
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