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Women's Football Joe Montemurro takes blame for manner of Arsenal's defeat to Chelsea

ARSENAL manager Joe Montemurro admitted he got it wrong today as Chelsea ran rampant, winning 4-1.

The win meant Chelsea have gone a year without loss in the league and ended the Gunners’ nine-game winning streak.

Montemurro said after that he set his team up wrong and that the blame lies at his feet.

“I take responsibility. I changed the system and structure and it didn’t work.

“I never have regrets, we have a plan, we work towards it. I installed it, I take responsibility.

“The game was done at half-time I think. I’m always proud of my players however they represent the group. I’m always happy to coach them, it’s just this game went the way it did.”

Bethany England, Sam Kerr, Sophie Ingle and Guro Reiten were on target for the visitors at Meadow Park, before Beth Mead replied for Arsenal with 16 minutes remaining.

Reiten set up the 10th-minute opener for England, Kerr headed the second from the edge of the six-yard box three minutes later, then Ingle volleyed Emma Hayes’s side three goals ahead by the 20-minute mark, from Reiten’s superb free-kick.

Norwegian Reiten got a deserved goal midway through the second half, heading home from Jonna Andersson’s free-kick, before substitute Mead capitalised on a mistake from Katrin Berger for a headed goal which was of little consolation to the hosts.

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes hailed her side’s “Champions League-level performance.”

She said: “I looked at my watch after 22 minutes, we were 3-0 up and I thought to myself: ‘This is a strange situation to be in.’

“Everything we hit in the first 15 minutes went into the top corner. We’re hungry, this is the team that’s performing in the biggest games.

“When we play like this, it’s really difficult, it’s a Champions League-level performance, everybody was outstanding.”

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