Maanum scare casts shadow over Arsenal's extra-time win

Sometimes the result is the least important thing. A roaring wall of red erupted behind the goal and players and staff on the bench spilled down the sidelines as Arsenal scored late into extra time to retain their Continental League Cup title with a win against Chelsea.

- Suzanne Wrack

But it was the news that the midfielder Frida Maanum was conscious, stable and talking to the medical staff that really mattered.

Maanum's off-the-ball collapse deep in injury time as the game stood at 0-0, the player seemingly unresponsive and requiring oxygen, was hugely concerning. The record crowd of 21,462 fans for the final were worried for the almost 10 minutes during which she was being treated. She exited on a stretcher, news arrived that she was stable, and Arsenal charged forward, grabbing a 116th-minute winner through Stina Blackstenius.

"We just came into the huddle and said: 'We need to win this game for her," Blackstenius said. "It's just awful to see as a teammate, and as a friend, to see something like that."

There is no love lost between these sides, with Arsenal having earned a 3-1 win against their rivals in the final last season to earn Jonas Eidevall his first trophy with the Gunners. The spoils this season have been shared in the league, with Arsenal having won 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium in December and Chelsea having bitten back with a similarly dominant performance in the return fixture at Stamford Bridge, winning 3-1 last month.