A sideline dispute during the English Women's League Cup final on Sunday escalated into a postmatch shove and complaints of "male aggression" from Chelsea manager Emma Hayes.

Hayes was upset by Arsenal's Jonas Eidevall's heated exchange with Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert when she went to make a throw-in during extra time.

Eidevall said afterward the dispute centered on a pregame decision to use only one ball during the match instead of multiple ones. A delay in getting the ball ready for a throw-in cost Chelsea valuable time in a match it would ultimately lose 1-0.

"I've been in women's football a long time and I don't think we should tolerate male aggression like we did today," Hayes said afterward. "He (Eidevall) received a yellow card but perhaps should have been more."

Hayes, who will assume USWNT duties once the Arsenal season ends, emphasized her displeasure in the postgame handshake line by giving Eidevall a visible shove.

Eidevall denied his behavior was overly aggressive.

"The ball goes out of play, the Chelsea player wants a new ball to take a quick throw-in and I said, 'We play with only one ball and you guys were the ones who decided that,'" he told the BBC.

"I don’t think I was aggressive," he told reporters in his postmatch press conference. "I think that is irresponsible to label it as that."