That’s all from me! I’ll leave you with Suzanne Wrack’s match report from Stamford Bridge. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers tells BBC Sport: “We know that games against Chelsea, there’s going to be small margins and small details can make a big impact on the game and that’s what happened. I have to see [the penalty] again. It doesn’t look like a penalty to me, but the decision is made and that decides the game for us.
“Overall I’m happy with how the girls managed the game. We knew they were going to come out strong and we were prepared to have to deal with a lot in the first 10-15 minutes, and I think we did that well and we grew into the game. I think we did a lot of things well today. We want to be more clinical with our finishing in the finall third. [But] overall, it was a tight game, small margins and Chelsea win on a penalty.”
Chelsea fans, you must be absolutely ecstatic today!
Nine points clear at the top of the WSL table
Still unbeaten
Two wins from two against London rivals Arsenal
Naomi Girma transfer confirmed
Elsewhere in the WSL this weekend…
Aston Villa 2-4 Manchester City
Crystal Palace 0-2 Tottenham (HT)
Leicester City vs Liverpool
West Ham vs Everton
Manchester United vs Brighton
Chelsea captain Millie Bright tells BBC Sport: “It was intense. It was everything you expect from a derby, especially two in-form teams. From our point of view, we’re happy to get the win, happy to get the clean sheet, but we want more. From a performance perspective, we still want better from ourselves but first and foremost, you want the three points. It was tough to break them down but we just needed to be a bit more ruthless in their box.”
Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor tells BBC Sport: “I’m really pleased. It was a difficult performance today because Arsenal are a really good team. I think we started well, after the first 15 minutes we dropped a little bit. We believed until the end it was possible so I think mentally it’s a big thing for us. It’s a great, great win for us.
“We’ll always keep our mentality, there are a lot of games to be played. You never know what will happen. If we keep the right mentality we are in a really good position but I want to make sure my players are working hard in every game and we want to finish as high as we can in the end.”
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Looking back at the replay of Katie McCabe’s red card, the defender appeared to exchange words with referee Emily Heaslip immediately after the penalty incident. The official then brandished the yellow card in her direction before McCabe appeared to shout back at her again. A second yellow then followed before the red.
As for Chelsea, they pretty much have the title wrapped up already. That result puts them nine points clear of second-placed Manchester City. Can they now go the entire season undefeated?
Arsenal will be very disappointed with that result. After a slow start, the visitors went toe-to-toe with Chelsea and even dominated some stages of the match. Beth Mead, Alessia Russo and Emily Fox were among the players to miss some key chances, proving detrimental for the club’s already-slim title chances.
One moment of madness appeared to cost Renée Slegers’ side dearly today.
Full-time: Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal
Chelsea continue their unbeaten run and take another huge step towards the WSL title.
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90+2 min: Bronze splits the Arsenal defence with a composed pass through to Hamano in the box. The attacking midfielder goes for goal but Van Domselaar makes a fantastic save.
90+1 min: Six minutes have been added on…
90 min: Cuthbert is shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Catley.
87 min: Two changes for Arsenal in the final stages with Cooney-Cross making way for defender Lotte Wubben-Moy. Meanwhile, Rosa Kafaji is on to replace Kim Little.
86 min: It’s all just completely unravelled for Arsenal. They have been going toe-to-toe with the reigning WSL champions for the entire match, only to let it slip away in the final stages by giving away a penalty and getting a player sent off…
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal (Reiten, 84)
Reiten converts the spot-kick, sending Van Domselaar the wrong way while slotting the ball into the bottom-right corner!
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RED CARD (Katie McCabe)
Disaster for Arsenal! McCabe is sent off, potentially for dissent.
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PENALTY (Chelsea)
James makes a brilliant run into the box and is brought down by Little!
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80 min: Chelsea have a corner. This time Reiten takes it and aims for the penalty spot. It bounces into the path of Bronze, who shoots, but her effort flies over the bar and into the crowd.
78 min: Two changes for Chelsea now as Guro Reiten replaces Macario in attack. Meanwhile, Kaneryd makes way for Aggie Beever-Jones.
77 min: Chelsea have a free kick around 40 yards out from goal. Macario takes it and sends the ball deep into the box towards the back post. It’s headed back across to the centre, but the flag is up for an offside.
74 min: Blackstenius does well to keep the ball in play next to goal before setting it back to Maanum in the box. The midfielder shoots, but her effort runs just wide of the top-right corner!
71 min: Just under 20 minutes to go now and this game could still go either way…
69 min: Arsenal seem to be sticking to their 4-3-3 formation with Russo now on the right…
66 min: Substitution for Arsenal as Mead makes way for Stina Blackstenius, who, historically, loves a goal against Chelsea. The visitors could now decide to switch up formations with two strikers on the pitch.
64 min: Chelsea have a corner and Macario delivers it to the front post, but the ball is easily cleared by Fox.
63 min: Blackstenius is getting ready to come on for Arsenal…
60 min: Nüsken receives the ball from Macario in the middle and takes a few steps forward before shooting, but her effort fails to trouble Van Domselaar.
57 min: Substitution for Chelsea as Lauren James returns to the pitch after a spell on the sidelines with a calf injury. She replaces Baltimore on the left wing.
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56 min: Now Baltimore attempts a shot from distance after receiving the ball from Nüsken in midfield. The winger goes for goal from around 25 yards out but her effort flies over the crossbar.
54 min: Arsenal struggle to clear their lines as Chelsea pile on the pressure. Catley is eventually caught out by Cuthbert, but Van Domselaar comes off her line to claim possession.
52 min: Bright attempts an audacious shot from at least 30 yards out, but her effort flies well wide of the target.
49 min: The corner is crossed into the box and reaches Nüsken at the front post. The midfielder attempts to flick it towards goal with her heel but instead the ball runs behind for a goal kick.
48 min: Baltimore receives the ball on the left and looks to drive into the box, but Fox is there to make the tackle and see it out for a corner.
46 min: Chelsea made one change at the break, with Maika Hamano replacing Ramírez. Macario will now play as a striker.
Kick-off: Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal
We’re back under way at Stamford Bridge!
While we wait for the second half to start, be sure to subscribe to Moving the Goalposts, our weekly women’s football newsletter.
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It was all Chelsea in the early stages of the first half, but Arsenal managed to get themselves back into the match. Beth Mead, Alessia Russo and Emily Fox all came close for the visitors, but arguably the best chance fell to Catarina Macario, who forced a great save from Van Domselaar in the 36th minute. A huge half of football awaits!
Half-time: Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal
It’s still all square at Stamford Bridge!
45+1 min: Four minutes have been added on…
44 min: Arsenal are forced into a change as Foord walks off with an injury just before half-time. She is replaced by Frida Maanum, with Mariona moving out to the wing.
42 min: Huge chance for Arsenal! The ball is drilled into Russo on the edge of the box, who kills the speed with a perfect touch across to Little. The midfielder then shifts possession back out to Mead on the left, who cuts inside before attempting to shoot for the top-right corner, but her effort flies wide!
39 min: Arsenal have improved massively in the last 20 minutes or so, forcing Chelsea onto the back foot at times. But they have to cautious – Chelsea could catch them out in a matter of seconds…
36 min: Big chance for Chelsea now as Nüsken crosses the ball into the box. It eventually falls to the feet of Macario, who attempts to shoot on the half-turn and forces a great save from Van Domselaar.
33 min: Macario sends a Chelsea corner into the box. Nüsken and Little both go to ground following a collision and the referee awards Arsenal a free kick. Both players are fine to continue.
30 min: Another chance for the visitors. Three quick passes eventually lead to Fox in the box, who goes for goal and forces a save from Hampton.
28 min: McCabe wanders out of possession and finds herself temporarily in the No9! She receives a long pass through before attempting the shot, but Charles is there to send it behind for a corner.
26 min: Another huge chance for Arsenal! McCabe sends a cross to Mead at the back post, who brings the ball down before going for the shot. Her effort deflects off the leg of Charles before going behind for a corner.
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23 min: A poor back pass from Cuthbert in midfield gifts possession to Russo on the edge of the box! The striker cuts inside before going for goal, but her effort is dragged wide. A huge chance missed there for Arsenal.
20 min: Arsenal fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Mead appears to be okay following that challenge. She can play on for now.
19 min: Mead goes to ground and appears to be in some discomfort following a collision with Kaneryd. She is holding her right knee.
18 min: Chelsea have a corner and the ball is swung into the box, but the referee blows her whistle when Little goes to ground following a collision with Bright. Arsenal have a free kick.
15 min: Just when Arsenal are struggling to break through, Cooney-Cross splits the Chelsea defence with a brilliant pass to Mead in the box. It bounces awkwardly as Bronze attempts to make the tackle, but play quickly stops when the offside flag is waved.
13 min: Cuthbert takes a heavy touch, allowing Russo to win the ball back for Arsenal. However, Chelsea are back in numbers and are not letting the visitors though.
10 min: Charles is given far too much space on the left, allowing her to drift towards the Arsenal penalty area. She sends a pass to Baltimore, who easily shrugs off Fox before crossing the ball into the six-yard box. Luckily for Arsenal, McCabe is there to get a touch on it, steering the cross away from Kaneryd at the back post.
8 min: Arsenal need to get a grip on this game. They have been caught out by Chelsea far too many times so far. The hosts are not giving their opponents any breathing space.
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6 min: Arsenal are very lucky to still be level here. A direct pass is sent across the pitch to Kaneryd, who crosses the ball in to Baltimore from the right. Arsenal can clear, but only as far as Cuthbert, who goes for the shot from the edge of the box and her effort skims narrowly past the post.
3 min: Arsenal face an early scare as a miscommunication between Van Domselaar and Williamson sees the ball spill out towards the feet of Macario in the six-yard box. Luckily for the visitors they can eventually scramble it away.
1 min: Little intercepts a pass in midfield before setting the ball to Mead, who is forced to go backwards. Chelsea quickly pin Arsenal back into their own half before winning possession and giving it to Kaneryd. The winger goes for goal, but her effort is comfortably saved by Van Domselaar.
Kick-off
We’re under way at Stamford Bridge!
Right, that’s enough transfer news for now. Kick-off is in just under five minutes!
Chelsea confirm Naomi Girma transfer
And just like that, Naomi Girma has just walked onto the Stamford Bridge pitch in a Chelsea shirt!
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In case you were not already aware, Chelsea agreed a $1.1million deal with San Diego Wave for USA defender Naomi Girma this week. Here’s what our very own Tom Garry had to say about the historic transfer…
Sonia Bompastor has just all-but confirmed the signing of Naomi Girma. The Chelsea manager told BBC Sport: “Yes, we will probably have to announce something about Naomi soon.”
Arsenal midfielders Lia Wälti and Kim Little spoke to Suzanne Wrack this week about this afternoon’s huge London derby, Jonas Eidevall’s exit and how things have changed under new head coach Renée Slegers.
Discussing Chelsea during her pre-match press conference on Friday, Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers said: “I’m very impressed with what they’ve been doing but what we want to do is take this game and approach it as any other game. The things we’ve been doing really well is being composed and calm about any opposition we play. Being humble, but also having a big belief in what we’re doing. We try to approach this game in the exact same way.”
Arsenal fans, you’ll be pleased to know that the visitors are wearing RED socks this afternoon. No last-minute dash to the megastore today!
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Discussing Arsenal during her pre-match press conference earlier this week, Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor said: “Our mentality is to focus on the game and every game is just worth three points, it is no more than that on Sunday. So we focus on ourselves and our mentality is to make sure in every game we put ourselves in the right mentality to make sure we win the game. We don’t focus on the table, we take it game by game, and we are more focused on how we can perform the best on game day.”
Guro Reiten claims Chelsea are “not happy with where they are right now” despite remaining undefeated across all competitions. The winger discussed today’s derby with Suzanne Wrack earlier this week…
In case you somehow missed it, the last time these two teams met at Stamford Bridge there was one major talking point - socks.
Yes, Arsenal took white socks across London for the fixture, resulting in a kit clash. The match was subsequently delayed by 30 minutes and the Gunners had to wear Chelsea’s dark blue and black away socks purchased from the stadium megastore…
Hopefully we won’t see the same problem again this afternoon!
Team news
Chelsea starting line-up: Hannah Hampton; Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright (C), Nathalie Björn, Niamh Charles; Sjoeke Nüsken, Erin Cuthbert, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd; Catarina Macario, Sandy Baltimore, Mayra Ramírez. Substitutes: Zećira Mušović, Ashley Lawrence, Maelys Mpomé, Wieke Kaptein, Oriane Jean-François, Maika Hamano, Guro Reiten, Lauren James, Aggie Beever-Jones.
Arsenal starting line-up: Daphne van Domselaar; Emily Fox, Leah Williamson, Steph Catley, Katie McCabe; Kyra Cooney-Cross, Kim Little (C), Mariona Caldentey; Caitlin Foord, Beth Mead, Alessia Russo. Substitutes: Manuela Zinsberger, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Laura Wienroither, Katie Reid, Lia Wälti, Frida Maanum, Rosa Kafaji, Stina Blackstenius.
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Preamble
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to coverage of today’s WSL clash between Chelsea and Arsenal. It’s first vs third at Stamford Bridge this afternoon in one of the most highly-anticipated fixtures of every WSL season. Chelsea are still yet to lose a match this term and have only dropped points on one occasion. Meanwhile, Arsenal have enjoyed an outstanding 13-game unbeaten run following their 2-1 defeat to Sonia Bompastor’s side in October - the match that also marked the end of the Jonas Eidevall era.
The Gunners need a win today to close the gap to their London rivals - anything less and Chelsea will take a huge step towards the league title.
Let’s just hope that Arsenal’s backroom staff have brought the correct socks this time!
Kick-off is at 12:30pm GMT - join me!
