Jonas Eidevall has warned rivals his Arsenal side are now full of belief for the rest of the season after they beat Chelsea 3-1 to win the League Conti Cup final.
Chelsea side took the lead in less than two minutes against their London rivals through Sam Kerr's header. But Arsenal hit back in style with three goals of their own before half-time, claiming the first silverware of the season and ending the Blues' chances of a historic quadruple.
Chelsea had held the upper hand on Arsenal in recent meetings, but Eidevall's team saved their best performance of the season so far for Selhurst Park, claiming the first trophy of the Swede's Gunners tenure. Kim Little and Leah Williamson lifted the cup in unison to mark the first silverware won since the WSL in 2019.
And Eidevall believes the victory will give his team belief ahead of the season run-in, with Arsenal still in the title shake-up and in the last eight of the UEFA Women's Champions League.
"It was a really tough start," said Eidevall. "But the way the team came back showed what they're made of.
"There was so much more intent today with our runs off the ball and it created a lot of situations. Those runs for the second goal with the penalty - that’s what we were missing last Sunday (in the FA Cup defeat to Chelsea) and we put that right today.
"These are the games we want to play. To get results creates belief going forward. Last Sunday, we did a lot of things well but we didn’t get the result."
Although Eidevall played down what the first trophy of his reign meant to him personally, he did say he was delighted to see both staff and players celebrating at full-time. And the Arsenal boss also revealed a club legend congratulated the team after the win.
"You can see the happiness," he added. "It was very nice to see that for the staff and players to see a club legend like Ian Wright coming down to the dressing room and sharing that moment with him.
"I don't think about that too much (what it means to him) I just think a lot about how we play and to get in the best way possible to win.
"But I am glad to do it on British soil now and not just Swedish soil."
The Arsenal boss was full of praise for his captain Little in particular. Not only did the Scot sweep home a crucial penalty in the 24th minute to put her team in front, she dominated the Chelsea midfield, running the show in the middle of the park.
"When you thought she (Little) couldn’t get better," added Eidevall. "She puts on that performance. I told Kim after the game, I wasn’t sure it was possible but ‘this is the best you’ve been since I have been the coach.
"I think she was phenomenal the whole game. She connects the team, the duels, the work rate, her decision making on the ball.
"She plays close to a perfect match, I am so happy for her. It is a trait for a great player to have a performance like that when it matters most."
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