The Blues booked our place in the quarter-finals of the Women’s FA Cup as we continue to hunt silverware in four different competitions this season, Sophie Ingle and Sam Kerr finding the net either side of half-time to give Chelsea a 2-0 home win over Arsenal.

Emma Hayes believed the game was played in difficult circumstances for both teams, with some players not returning from last week’s international break until Friday, but felt the way her team dealt with the situation, combined with learning lessons from the 1-1 draw with the Gunners in the Women’s Super League last month, were crucial to this victory.

‘I know we learned from the last game,’ said Hayes. ‘I never talk tactically in press conferences because that’s between me and my team, but I think we made the right adaptations today and I think we have the mentality of champions.

‘To do that when they are really tired, that is why we have always competed for titles. So many of our players had really solid performances today and the focus is there. That’s that dressing room, I’ve got an amazing dressing room.’

She also highlighted Kerr as one of the key figures in creating that mentality at Cobham and Kingsmeadow, as she returned from international duty with Australia to score for Chelsea yet again, taking her tally to 11 goals in six appearances for the Blues so far in 2023 after surpassing a century of appearances for the club.

‘Some players get off a plane on Thursday night and come in on Friday and they moan that they’re tired. Not her. She comes in and she does everything necessary and possible and lifts the spirit of the building. She does that when no-one’s looking, she does that when she’s our only real out-and-out No.9 available.

‘I think she’s the best in the business, but the best in the business isn’t just about 81 goals in 100 games, it’s that mentality. Today that’s why we are winners, because of the mentality displayed by the team in what I think were challenging circumstances for both sides. We dealt with that better. We have an unbelievable mentality.’

Hayes also discussed the development and performances of two players who are new to the Blues this season, Eve Perisset and Jelena Cankovic. Both have needed to be patient for playing time since arriving at Kingsmeadow but were in the starting line-up against Arsenal and looking increasingly at home in the team, with Cankovic setting up our second goal and being named Player of the Match.

‘We were trying to build in that January period until the international break, when we could develop more minutes in more players. I want to develop more experience within the squad and I feel like, as a result of that and allowing our newer players settle in, tactically we’re in a place where lots more players can do lots more jobs within the team, in possession and out of possession, in transitions, restarts etc. There’s so much they have to take on board so I think we’re in a better place for that body of work.

‘Everybody always wants new players to play right away but you have to take on board how long it takes for them to adapt to the intensity of the league, a new country etc. I think they’ve both settled now, that really helps.

‘Eve is managing a little bit of a groin issue so I took her out because we want to make sure we can manage that. She’s had that for a few weeks.

‘I think Jelena is showing her qualities. For us to sign a player there’s always a reason for it, because we know when you get to this period the games come thick and fast and we absolutely need them. Tactically she played her role today. She delivered the job we’d asked her to do and she’s getting better at that week in, week out on the training pitch.’

Perisset and Cankovic will be hoping to continue that progress when we take on Arsenal again next week, this time with a trophy at stake in the final of the Continental League Cup, with kick-off at Selhurst Park on Sunday 5 March at 3pm.