Chelsea Women booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday with a 2-0 win over London rivals Arsenal at Kingsmeadow.
Despite some early changes for the visitors, it was Chelsea who took the lead just after the 20-minute mark. Some positive play from Lauren James on the right opened up space for Sophie Ingle in the middle, who got onto the end of the cross and drilled an effort into the bottom corner.
It was then Sam Kerr who marked her 100th appearance for the club with the second just before the hour mark. A clever ball through the lines from Jelena Cankovic was calmly finished by the striker. Despite late pressure from the visitors, Emma Hayes' side held firm to keep a clean sheet and progress to the next round of the competition.
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Here's how the players got on at Kingsmeadow...
Berger - Alert to make a crucial stop and deny Maanum in the opening few minutes. A couple of loose passes that put her defenders under pressure in the first half, fortunately they weren't costly. 7.
Bright - Looked to make the switch when it was on, but didn’t always come off with some long balls running out of play. Some crucial defending second half as Arsenal looked to pile on the pressure in search of a route back into the game. Imperious in the air. 8.
Ingle - Cool finish for the opening goal right into the bottom corner. Controlled the midfield for Chelsea, made crucial interceptions and set the tempo of the attack. 8.
James - Comfortable hold up play and looks to drive forward. Sliding challenge on Catley to concede a free-kick in a dangerous area 10 minutes in, thankfully cleared. Assist for Ingle’s opener after some confident play down the right. 8.
Reiten - Clever link up play with Charles down the left and caused Arsenal’s defence problems on a number of occasions. 8.
Perisset - Dealt with Arsenal’s threat down the left really well. Up against Caitlin Foord, but kept her quiet. Recycled possession well. 7.
Eriksson - Handled the threat of Blackstenius well. The Arsenal forward look to get in behind on a few occasions, but both of Chelsea's central defenders were able to sniff out any danger. 7.
Kerr - Some crucial defending early on to clear an Arsenal attack. Clever finish in the second half to extend Chelsea’s lead. A fantastic way to mark her 100th appearance for the Blues. 8.
Charles - A clearance on the line as Arsenal looked destined to score. Conceded a needless foul and went into the book on the brink of half time but Chelsea were able to clear the resulting free-kick. 7.
Cuthbert - Composed performance in the middle of the park. Helped dictate the play and looked to close down those in a red shirt at every opportunity. 7.
Cankovic - Denied by a fantastic stop from Zinsberger moment before half time, a huge opportunity to extend Chelsea’s lead before the break. Clever ball between the lines to Kerr for the second. 8.
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