It started with a knee drop and ended with a push. The rivalry between Emma Hayes and Jonas Eidevall is over and we all want more.
Some will view the events in the aftermath of Sunday’s League Cup final as unacceptable.
Arsenal boss Eidevall argues with Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert, with Hayes responding by pushing him after the whistle. The kind of things people say they don’t want to see, when in reality they’re the kind of things everyone wants to see. Passion, fireworks and drama. After all, managers are not robots.
As the dust settles on this international breakthrough, which has come at a good time for Hayes, she will realize she was wrong. She was wrong for pushing Eidevall and she was wrong for labeling his sideline behavior as “male aggression.”
There is no doubt that Eidevall can cause a nuisance. A ‘pain in the backside’, that’s how Hayes described him before their league match three weeks ago. He can be animated, over-the-top and, if you are his opponent, incredibly annoying.
Emma Hayes pushed Jonas Eidevall after Arsenal’s Conti Cup win over Chelsea on Sunday
Hayes was wrong when he put pressure on Eidevall and labeled his behavior on the touchline as ‘male aggression’
The Chelsea boss criticized Eidevall after a clash with Chelsea player Erin Cuthbert over match balls
Your browser does not support iframes.
The row on Sunday stemmed from Cuthbert reaching for the nearest ball instead of the ball that had gone out of play during a throw-in in the final minute.
Eidevall rushed over and shouted, arguing that the original ball should be used. He explained after the match that Chelsea had rejected the option of a multi-ball system and pointed out that they could not have it both ways. Cuthbert angrily walked towards Eidevall, who stood his ground. Hayes called it “fronting up” and because of that, she says, she lost her cool.
As the full-time whistle blew and the Arsenal League Cup champions were crowned for the second season in a row, Eidevall approached Hayes for a handshake. The Chelsea boss pointed at him, made a passing comment and then pushed him away.
When asked about the incident afterwards, Hayes said she was “not up for male aggression” and called Eidevall’s sideline behavior “unacceptable.” He responded by calling Hayes “irresponsible” and a sore loser.
The problem for Hayes is that it’s hard to call someone else aggressive when you’ve pushed someone in front of the TV cameras. If the roles had been reversed, Eidevall would have come under intense scrutiny for laying hands on an opponent. Hayes got away slightly.
‘I don’t think we should make a big story out of it; the problem is you’re going to,” Hayes said. “I don’t want the conversation to be about that.”
One suspects that if Hayes didn’t want her altercation with Eidevall to be the topic of conversation, she wouldn’t have talked about it.
The story, of course, should have been about how Arsenal’s players got over the shock of seeing their teammate Frida Maanum collapse on the pitch to win a trophy. Those nine minutes were difficult for both players and for everyone watching at Molineux. That they were able to continue so professionally made the full-time antics of both managers seem trivial.
Hayes got away with it easily, because Eidevall would have gotten more attention if he had acted the same way
Eidevall has put himself in the shoes of other managers, but the Arsenal boss triumphed on Sunday
The three-year rivalry will be missed as Hayes leaves to take over as USA boss
Eidevall was shown a yellow card for his confrontation with Cuthbert and Hayes argued that this was not the first time he had been warned about his touchline behaviour. In November, Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor accused Eidevall of ‘bullying’ the fourth official during their WSL match. Eidevall was not booked and described Taylor’s comments as ‘borderline slander’.
The rivalry between Hayes and Eidevall began when the latter fell to his knees in celebration after Arsenal beat Chelsea 3–2 in his first game in charge. When Hayes’ side won the FA Cup that same season, she made purring noises in reference to Eidevall’s fear of black cats. They have consistently bit each other, but even though it ended in a confrontation, there is a level of respect between both coaches.
Eidevall gets under people’s skin, that much is clear. Hayes’ departure to the United States at the end of the season raises the question of who will fill the void. The incoming Blues manager perhaps, whoever that is. But the box office rivalry of the past three years will take a beating.
Le Tissier is caught between two positions
Maya Le Tissier must wonder what she needs to do to win the trust of England boss Sarina Wiegman.
The Manchester United centre-back was one of the best defenders in the Women’s Super League last season, but surprisingly missed out on the World Cup squad.
She has been in and around the lineup since then, but was once again dropped for the upcoming Euro 2025 qualifiers.
The problem seems to be that Wiegman sees Le Tissier as a right-back when she plays as a centre-back for United. That’s not Le Tissier’s fault and when she played as a back-up for England she always did steady work.
Le Tissier may be surprised that Wiegman apparently prefers Esme Morgan, who does not regularly play for Manchester City, over her. But all she can do is keep working hard and try to prove the England boss wrong.
Maya Le Tissier was left out of the England squad despite her impressive form at club level
Toone’s double lightens Man United’s mood
Manchester United’s problems this season have been well documented, but it was nice to see Ella Toone bring some relief to the club last weekend.
The striker, who is the club’s all-time record goalscorer and appearance holder, scored her 50th and 51st goals in United colors in a 4-1 win over Everton.
Toone has competition for the number 10 spot in the England team, with the likes of Grace Clinton and Jess Park in excellent form.
Her performance last weekend was a timely reminder of the attacking assets she can bring to the Lionesses team.
Ella Toone scored twice as Manchester United secured a 4-1 victory over Everton in the WSL