That’s it for our coverage of today’s final. I’ll leave you with Suzanne Wrack’s match report from Selhurst Park. Thanks for your company and emails – goodnight!
Jonas Eidevall and Leah Williamson have joined the BBC team
JE I’m so happy – for the team, for the players, and for the way we came back into the game. It was a really tough start but the team showed what they’re made of.
LW I feel good. You’ve gotta break the chain [of not winning trophies] at some point, and today was that day.
At this point Katie McCabe crashes the interview, says something about non-alcoholic champagne and does one
JE We were so much more intense today [than against Chelsea last week] with our runs off the ball, and that creates a lot of situations. Those runs that led to the penalty for the second goal, for example – that’s what we were missing last Sunday.
LW We wanted to put pressure on them and get the pace of the game up, and [going 1-0 down] doesn’t change that. It would have been stupid to go crazy. This means so much. For us, a trophy is a trophy – Arsenal should be winning trophies and we needed to start again today.
JE These are the games we want to play in. To get a result creates belief for all the games coming forward.
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Emma Hayes’ verdict
We sat off after scoring, and once Arsenal equalised we saw the defence between a team that has won a lot and a team that hasn’t won a lot. I thought their hunger and desire in the duels, in everything they did, was at a much better intensity than us. The best team won, there’s no doubt about that whatsoever.
I’m disappointed with us. Our standards are higher than that. You can’t concede three goals against a team that hasn’t won a lot – and they haven’t won a lot domestically – and for me that was the biggest difference. They were significantly more hungry than my team.
Losing so many duels in the first half [was the most disappointing thing]. They dominated all over the pitch and I thought Kim Little was deservedly player of the match. Sometimes you need a reality check, and today the best team won.
I think there was complacency in the performances. We’ve won a lot, they haven’t, and today they wanted it more than us. Simple as.
The Arsenal players go up to receive their medals, Jen Beattie clutching a bottle of champagne. Last up are Leah Williamson and Kim Little, who walk over to their mates and lift the trophy to the heavens. Arsenal have won the Continental Cup! And now it’s time to fill the trophy with champagne.
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“This is a great day for Arsenal, and I can’t help but think that the team will be buoyed by the win and kick on,” says Kári Tulinius. “This team is so well balanced that the only way it can go from here is up. I realise this could be the euphoria of seeing my team win a title, but something special seems to brewing.”
And here’s Stina Blackstenius
I enjoyed it so much. I’m so proud of the team for coming back with such a strong performance after conceding an early goal. I really want to do everything for this team and to score a goal in a final means a lot to me.
We have so much still to do this season, and I hope this will give us a lot of confidence.
The player of the match is Kim Little
I’m so proud of the team. On the back of last week’s result we had to turn it round and we did. We had a good week’s training and we talked about a lot of things. They scored such a good goal, but because it was so early we just had to reset and I think we did that. The rest of our first-half performance was pretty special; that’s what won us the match today.
At a club like Arsenal we want to win trophies. We’re disappointed in ourselves that we haven’r done that since 2019, but here it is. Just happy and proud for the girls. And thanks to all the fans – we love you!
“When Chelsea scored the opener, I feared a collapse was on,” says Kári Tulinius, “but the whole of the Arsenal team showed admirable calmness and poise. I don’t think anyone can be singled out, this has been an immense team effort.”
I agree with you. Kim Little though.
As the Arsenal players cavort in front of their fans, Emma Hayes addresses her huddled Chelsea team. It’s a repeat of last year’s Conti Cup final – 1-0 up, 3-1 down – and that season ended well enough for Chelsea. They’ve still got loads to play for.
Arsenal have won the Continental Cup for the sixth time, and the first since 2018. Jonas Eidevall has a big smile plastered across his face, and the players – well, those who aren’t utterly shattered like Kim Little – are beaming similarly.
All trophy wins are drenched in glory, but the manner of this – and the pain they have suffered in the last four years since their last triumph – makes this more glorious than most. Time will tell whether it’s a one-off or the start of something more profound. But that can wait for another day. Arsenal have some celebrating to do.
Full time: Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
Peep peep! It’s a glorious day for Arsenal. They’ve won their first trophy since 2019 and they’ve done so by emphatically outplaying the best team in England. Not only that, they recovered from going 1-0 down inside two minutes to their nemesis Sam Kerr.
It would have been so easy to accept that some things aren’t meant to be, but Arsenal were having none of it. They produced a marvellous performance, surely their best under Jonas Eidevall, with a desire, intensity and precision that was just too much for Chelsea.
Kim Little and Frida Maanum were sensational in midfield, while Stina Blackstenius and Caitlin Foord ran themselves into the ground up front. Steph Catley also had a blinder at left-back. Ach, they were all great. You don’t hammer Chelsea unless everyone turns up, and that’s what Arsenal have done.
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90+3 min Perisset’s wobbling long-range shot is pushed away uncomfortably by Zinsberger, falling to her left.
90+2 min Reiten has a stinging shot blocked, then Kerr’s cross is too close to Zinsberger. Chelsea are pressing now, but it’s too much too little too late.
90 min After a series of crosses into the Arsenal area, Leupolz hacks over from the edge of the area. Arsenal are surely there now.
88 min: Leupolz hits the bar! Leupolz’s mishit cross from miles out on the right is palmed onto the bar by Zinsberger! That would have made things seriously interesting.
88 min: Arsenal substitution Jen Beattie replaces the brilliant Stina Blackstenius, who scored the equaliser and gave the Chelsea defence 88 minutes of misery.
87 min With Bright now playing at centre-forward, Perisset has to make an important last-woman challenge on Foord.
86 min The outstanding Maanum wins the ball off Cuthbert, surges forward and hits a shot that deflects through to Berger.
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85 min “We’re in a final, with a great opportunity, so let’s seize the day,” said Eidevall before the game, and have they ever.
84 min Zinsberger is down receiving treatment, which allows Jonas Eidevall to have one last tactical chat.
83 min James is booked for pulling back Pelova.
82 min Arsenal break three on two when Blackstenius wins the ball off Bright. Pelova is held up by Leupolz, and eventually the danger passes. The Arsenal players who started this game look shattered.
80 min Fleming’s cross is too deep for Kerr, and the flag was up anyway. But Arsenal, who have given so much to this game, look like they are suffering a sudden energy crash.
79 min James, suddenly looking dangerous, is fouled on the left wing by Wienroither. Reiten takes it short to James, who cuts inside… and smashes over the bar from a tight angle. Not sure that was the best option; in fact, I know it wasn’t.
77 min: Substitution for Chelsea Jessie Fleming for Magda Eriksson, which means Chelsea have switched to a back four, although effectively it’s a back two.
77 min James beats Wienroither thrillingly on the left and lifts a cross towards Kerr that is headed away superbly by Rafaelle. That leads to a bit of a scramble in the Arsenal area, but they are able to stand firm.
75 min Perisset’s cross is too close to Zinsberger. You’d never write off a team like Chelsea, but at this precise, exact, particular moment in time, they don’t look like scoring.
73 min The official attendance is 19,010, which is about 11,000 more than the previous record for a Continental Cup final.
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72 min It’s easy to criticise Chelsea’s performance, which by their standards has been ragged, but it does feel like most of the errors have been enforced. So many of Arsenal’s attacking players- Little, Blackstenius and Maanum in particular - have been immense
71 min: Good save by Zinsberger! Catley’s awkward clearance goes to Leupolz, 25 yards from goal. She takes a touch and cuts across a cracking shot that is pushed away by Zinsberger, diving to her left.
70 min: Substitution for Arsenal Laura Wienroither replaces Noelle Maritz at right-back.
69 min Bright is lucky to avoid a yellow card after wiping out Blackstenius. Chelsea’s defensive players have had a torrid time this afternoon, and their brains look scrambled.
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67 min Maanum’s shot hits Bright and flies behind for another corner. Chelsea had a decent spell but now they are being pinned back again.
64 min Walti plays a marvellous pass inside Perisset to release Catley on the left, and her low cross is crucially cut out by the stretching Buchanan at the near post. Arsenal have played so well today.
64 min: Substitution for Chelsea Johanna Kaneryd replaces Sophie Ingle, who had a difficult day fighting fires in midfield.
63 min If Arsenal don’t win this, we’ll hear plenty about that decision.
61 min: Penalty appeal for Arsenal! Buchanan makes a needless tackle on Foord, just inside the area, and doesn’t get the ball. Kirsty Dowle is too far away to have a clear view and gives a corner. It should have been a penalty.
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61 min This probably doesn’t need saying, but Kim Little has been fantastic today.
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60 min Desperate defending from Arsenal, with Rafaelle in particularly doing well to stop James having a clear shot after she had cleverly headed a loose ball into the area.
58 min Maanum sprays a crossfield pass to the unmarked Pelova on the edge of the area. She controls the ball on her chest and cuts across a volley that is comfortably saved by Berger, falling to her left.
That would have been some impact from Pelova, who has been on the field about a minute.
58 min: Arsenal substitution Victoria Pelova replaces Katie McCabe, who was once again in the thick of it. She was booked, went down twice with head injuries – but, most significantly, won the penalty from which Kim Little put Arsenal 2-1 in front.
57 min Chelsea are starting to threaten again. Kerr makes another good run, this time down the right wing, and picks out the unmarked James 20 yards from goal. She whips a first-time shot that curls a few yards over the bar. Zinsberger had it covered.
55 min Kerr makes a terrific run behind the Arsenal defence, onto Perisset’s long, angled pass, but Rafaelle recovers superbly to push the ball behind. The corner is cleared.
51 min Leupolz is booked for a studs-first follow through onto McCabe’s ankle.
50 min A big moment of fortune for Berger, whose lazy pass is blocked by the stretching Blackstenius but goes straight back to the keeper.
49 min McCabe goes down again holding her face after a hefty collision with Eriksson. She’s fine.
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48 min James, so quiet in the first half, runs at the defence, rolling her studs over the ball, and finds Reiten on the left. She curls a first-time cross towards the penalty spot, where Cuthbert gets in front of the Arsenal defenders but screws an acrobatic volley wide of goal. A half chance at best.
47 min Foord shoots a few yards wide from distance. It took a deflection off Bright, in fact, but a goalkick has been given.
46 min Arsenal begin the second half. Chelsea have made a second substitution: Melanie Leupolz for Niamh Charles. That means Eve Perisset will return to right wing-back.
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“As a properly stung Arsenal fan, 3-1 isn’t good enough for me to feel safe against Chelsea and Kerr,” says Zach Neeley. “Would 4-1? Maybe, but they’re officially the horror movie villain who isn’t dead for sure until the credits end.”
Half-time reading
Half time: Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
Pulsating stuff at Selhurst Park. It looked like the same old story when Sam Kerr headed Chelsea ahead in the second minute, but Arsenal responded irresistibly. Stina Blackstenius equalised after a quickly taken free-kick, a symbol of Arsenal’s tempo in the first half, and then Kim Little scored emphatically from the spot after Katie McCabe tricked Sophie Ingle into a loose challenge.
For a while it looked like Arsenal could win the game before half-time. Emma Hayes changed both tactics and personnel, which helped Chelsea to restore order – until Niamh Charles scored an unfortunate own goal with the last touch of the half.
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In fact, it came off Niamh Charles. She was off balance as she tried to head clear, under pressure from Rafaelle, and ended up diverting the ball past both Berger and Ingle on the line.
It looked like Ingle had a decent opportunity to clear, but she reacted slowly and the ball went straight over head. There was also an important half block from Blackstenius, who ensured – some would say illegally, others would say legally – that Berger couldn’t get a clear run at the ball.
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Catley, on the right, curled a pacy inswinging corner towards the near post. Berger came through the crowd – and I think she ended up punching it into her own net!
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GOAL! Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea (Charles og 45+5)
Oh my word!
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45+2 min Cuthbert’s free-kick is spilled by Zinsberger, under pressure from Bright, but the ball lands safely and the flag had gone up anyway.
45+1 min Four minutes of added time. It’s actually Arsenal who will be glad to hear the whistle now, because Chelsea are stirring.
45 min McCabe, who has switched to the left for the time being, teases a deep cross that just evades the leaping Foord.
43 min Chelsea have been better since the switch to a back three, and everything points to a humdinger of a second half.
42 min Looks like a 3-4-1-2 for Chelsea. Eve Perisset has moved into midfield alongside Sophie Ingle, with Cuthbert playing in a more advanced role.
41 min … but Reiten’s free-kick hits the wall.
40 min Cuthbert wins the ball high up the field and is fouled 22 yards from goal by Walti. This is a chance for Chelsea…
39 min: Chelsea substitution Kadeisha Buchanan replaces Jelena Cankovic, which definitely means Chelsea will play with a back three.
39 min: Half chance for Kerr! Reiten beats Maritz thrillingly, knocking the ball one side and running round the other. Then she curls a terrific cross to the far post, where Kerr heads wide under pressure from Catley.
38 min Emma Hayes is about to make a tactical substitution. No surprise, even at this early stage, because Chelsea are being hammered.
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37 min Maanum’s shot on the turn from 15 yards goes well wide. Just before that, the ball hit Bright right on the edge of the area, and Arsenal wanted a handball. The referee wasn’t interested.
37 min Foord’s dangerous cross is headed away bravely by Eriksson. Cuthbert lumps the ball somewhere, anywhere, just to get a few seconds of respite.
36 min It looks like Emma Hayes has switched to a 3-4-2-1, with Reiten at left wing-back and Charles switching to the right, although it’s hard to be certain because they are being moved all over the place.
35 min: Blackstenius has a goal disallowed for offside! It was beautifully taken – one touch to control and another to flick it past Berger – but she was definitely offside.
32 min Berger is fine. McCabe is on her feet, though she looks a bit groggy… until she is booked, at which point she gives the referee a mouthful. McCabe kicked Berger in the chest and, though she was going for the ball, you can understand why a yellow card was dhown.
30 min: Great goalkeeping from Berger! Maanum’s clever header releases McCabe, who is just beaten to the bouncing ball on the edge of the area by Berger. They both go down, with McCabe holding her head, but it looked like a really good – and brave – bit of goalkeeping.
Replays confirm as much, but they are both still down. McCabe is receiving very careful treatment to her neck.
29 min A sloppy pass from Blackstenius goes straight to Kerr, 45 yards from goal. She’s all on her own against Rafaelle and Williamson, so she makes a beeline for the Arsenal area, but Rafaelle makes a really good tackle.
28 min I haven’t seen Arsenal play this well all season, maybe in years. The tempo has been relentless.
27 min: Chance for Arsenal! Catley hooks a spectaculative over-the-shoulder cross towards the near post, where Blackstenius gerts in front of Eriksson and forces a header towards the near post. Berger gets down really smartly to her right to push it away.
26 min Berger is okay to continue, and the match has resumed.
25 min That was a brilliant penalty from Little. Play hasn’t restarted yet, because the Chelsea keeper Ann-Katrin Berger is receiving treatment to her right leg. It doesn’t look great actually.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea (Little 24 pen)
Little scores emphatically, sending Berger the wrong way and sweeping the penalty into the bottom-left corner. Arsenal have come from behind to lead!
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PENALTY TO ARSENAL!
23 min McCabe slips Ingle just inside the area and goes over, and Arsenal have a penalty! It was a brilliant bit of footwork from McCabe, although she did then fall into Ingle. It’s still the right decision… I think.
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22 min So much for a mood of fatalism; Arsenal are all over Chelsea like a cheap cliche. It’s been such an impressive response to going behind inside 100 seconds.
21 min Maanum’s free-kick is headeclear at the near post by Perisset, then Catley’s lofted cross is punched away crucially at the near post by Berger.
20 min Perisset shoves Foord over near the corner flag on the left, a needless foul with the ball already gone. This time they don’t take it quickly, but instead wait for the centre-backs to come forward…
18 min Maanum fires a low cross into Blackstenius, whose slightly heavy first touch allows Bright to come across and muscle her off the ball. Chelsea are really struggling to live with Arsenal’s tempo.
It came from a very quick restart, something Arsenal have noticeably been doing since the match began. Blackstenius was fouled by Eriksson near the halfway line, and Little took the free-kick instantly to release Maanum. She ran to within 25 yards of goal and was about to shoot when Kerr challenged her from behind.
Maanum still got away a shot of sorts, which ricocheted off Eriksson and into the path of Blacksteinus, unmarked 12 yards out. Her first-time finish was decisive, swept through the legs of Bright and past the left foot Berger.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea (Blackstenius 16)
It’s been coming!
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14 min Perisset is a bit fortunate to avoid a yellow card for pulling back Walti. Arsenal are having an excellent spell.
12 min This has been a brilliant response from Arsenal. Little, 20 yards from goal, plays a marvellous pass inside Perisset to find Foord in the area, and her cutback is turned just wide of her own goal by the stretching Bright. It was really good defending, ultimately, because there were so many players behind Bright that she had to intercept.
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10 min Both teams are having a fair bit of joy down the left. Maanum’s dangerous cross is put behind by the stretching Bright, but the resulting corner ends up in the hands of Berger.
8 min Kerr heads straight at Zinsberger after another fine cross from Reiten. It was a much tougher header for Kerr, who was backpedalling near the penalty spot, and she couldn’t get the necessary power or direction.
7 min There was a brilliant bit of chest control from Kerr just before her goal, when she killed an awkward ball from Cuthbert while in mid-air. That led to Perisset’s cross, which ultimately led to the goal.
6 min Arsenal work the ball really neatly on the left, with Foord eventually finding a bit of space just inside the area. Her low cross-shot is blocked by Cuthbert.
4 min That’s such a blow to Arsenal, who will do well to resist a mood of fatalism given their recent struggles against Chelsea, and Kerr in particular.
What a start! Perisset’s cross from the right wasn’t properly cleared, with Cuthbert efficiently collecting the loose ball and and finding Reiten on the other side of the area. She took a touch and clipped a devastating flat cross towards the far post, where Kerr headed in off the underside of the bar from about four yards. At first I thought Zinsberger might have intercepted the cross, but it was such a good ball from Reiten.
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GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea (Yep 2)
Sam Kerr scores against Arsenal yet again!
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1 min Peep peep! After the players take a kne, Sophie Ingle gets the ball rolling for Chelsea.
“It’s hard for the Arsenal fan to be confident of a win here,” says Charles Antaki. “Chelsea are all-round as good or slightly better, and certainly so up front. Miedema and Mead’s replacements have been tepid at best - the frustrating pass here, the wild swipe there, the open goal too often missed. Occasionally Maanum will shine through from midfield and have a stormer, but that’s not been in evidence lately. What is it, seven straight losses to Chelsea recently? Inductive reasoning is usually rubbish in football, but not, probably, on this occasion.”
While Chelsea have dominated this fixture, it’s not quite seven straight losses for Arsenal – they drew at the Emirates in January. Or are they playing each other a helluva lot these days?
As the players line up for the national anthem, here’s a reminder of the two teams.
Arsenal (possible 4-3-3) Zinsberger; Maritz, Williamson, Rafaelle, Catley; Walti, Little, Maanum; McCabe, Blackstenius, Foord.
Substitutes: Wubben-Moy, Beattie, Hurtig, Marckese, Queiroz Costa, Pelova, Kuhl, Wienrothier.
Chelsea (possible 4-2-3-1) Berger; Perisset, Bright, Eriksson, Charles; Ingle, Cuthbert; James, Cankovic, Reiten; Kerr.
Substitutes: Musovic, Carter, Leupolz, Fleming, Mjelde, Kaneryd, Buchanan, Abdullina.
Referee Kirsty Dowle.
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And here’s what Emma Hayes had to say
It was an efficient performance last week [with the same XI] and that’ll be our starting point today. I hope it’s a good game, an entertaining game – it’s a final, a sell-out, a record crowd. I’m sure we’ll see goals. Hopefully more of them on the blue side than the red side. It’s the first available trophy that we can win this season. We want to compete on all fronts and this gives us a chance to build towards the end of the season with a trophy under our belt.
The pre-match thoughts of Jonas Eidevall
It will be important for both teams [to be clinical]. First you have to create chances, then you have to put them away. We’re very hungry – it’s a great opportunity to win a trophy. When you manage a team like this, you always put yourself under pressure because you want to achieve things, but I don’t view that in a bad way. A lot of managers would like to be in my position: we’re in a final, with a great opportunity, so let’s seize the day.
Full time: Man Utd 5-1 Leicester
Alessia Russo scored a hat-trick as the WSL leaders hammered Leicester at Leigh Sports Village. This is what it means at the top of table.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man Utd Women | 14 | 30 | 35 |
| 2 | Chelsea Women | 12 | 24 | 31 |
| 3 | Man City Women | 14 | 14 | 29 |
| 4 | Arsenal Women | 12 | 19 | 26 |
| 5 | Aston Villa Women | 14 | 1 | 23 |
The teams in (possible) formation
Arsenal (4-3-3) Zinsberger; Maritz, Williamson, Rafaelle, Catley; Walti, Little, Maanum; McCabe, Blackstenius, Foord.
Substitutes: Wubben-Moy, Beattie, Hurtig, Marckese, Queiroz Costa, Pelova, Kuhl, Wienrothier.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Berger; Perisset, Bright, Eriksson, Charles; Cuthbert, Ingle; James, Cankovic, Reiten; Kerr.
Substitutes: Musovic, Carter, Leupolz, Fleming, Mjelde, Kaneryd, Buchanan, Abdullina.
Referee Kirsty Dowle.
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Team news
Arsenal make one change from last week’s FA Cup defeat at Chelsea, with Noelle Maritz replacing Laura Wienrothier at right-back.
Chelsea are unchanged.
CUP FINAL TEAM NEWS ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PaNvbG2MSv
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) March 5, 2023
Your #ContiCupFinal team news is in! 💪 pic.twitter.com/Rj4VzUrLdA
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) March 5, 2023
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Arsenal have one obvious task today: stop Sam Kerr. She has put all kinds of hurt on them in recent times, including two goals in the delayed 2021 FA Cup final and another last week to put them out of this year’s competition.
Here’s Karen Carney on Lauren James, and the value of taking things slowly in an impatient world.
WSL latest
Alessia Russo has belted a hat-trick for the leaders Manchester United, who are 3-1 up at home to Leicester. If it stays like that United will be four points clear of Chelsea and nine ahead of Arsenal, though both have two games in hand.
Manchester City, who have entered the title race by stealth, would be six adrift with one game in hand.
In the other lunchtime game, Rachel Daly set up Kenza Dali to give Aston Villa a 1-0 half-time lead at Everton.
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The set is staged
Today’s stage. 🏟️ #ContiCupFinal pic.twitter.com/f2AYd8T4DO
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) March 5, 2023
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the confusingly named Continental* Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea at Selhurst Park. Yep, it’s these two again, fighting for a big prize, and it’s likely to be another game of fine margins. And, as both teams know well, fine margins can be defining margins.
Arsenal and Chelsea have been extremely close, often inseparable, since the start of the decade, yet in that time the trophy count reads 7-0 to Chelsea. Their ruthlessness and unkillability has been a recurring theme of their contests with Arsenal, from Beth England’s injury-time winner in the Conti Cup final three years ago to Sam Kerr’s buzzkiller at the Emirates in January. As a result, they start this game as strongish favourites.
Still, the bigger the challenge, the greater the opportunity. If Arsenal are to win their first trophy since 2019, and the first under Jonas Eidevall, who better to do it against?
Kick off 3pm
* As you probably know, but I feel obliged to mention lest you don’t and thus wrongly feel excluded from this celebration of football and automotive expertise, it’s the League Cup sponsored by Continental Tyres
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