Arsenal v Chelsea: Women’s Super League – live! | Football

Man City are now top of the WSL on goal difference with +28, to Arsenal’s +27, both teams on 33 points. On top of the fact they got battered today, that’s a psychological blow for Arsenal to drop off the top of the table. It will be a test for them to pick themselves up, but with the quality in their squad, there is no question they can do just that. Chelsea are a point further back – but with a game in hand. Of course they have also vastly improved their goal difference, and are now on +26.

Clare Balding speaks to Sam Kerr after her first goal for Chelsea: “I’m super pumped … the girls played really well today and it’s a big game but we’ve just got to keep going for the rest of the season. Look, it’s been coming … it’s good to get the monkey off my back. I didn’t have to do much, it was a lovely ball in. I had been struggling with my health, I copped a virus as I got here, I was in bed for a week. It’s amazing to put in that performance today.”

Emphatic. Chelsea are fighting for this title – they have ended Arsenal’s eight-match winning streak in the WSL and have done the double over the Gunners following that win previous back in October. They won the match with a stunning three-goal barrage inside the first 20 minutes. Blues manager Emma Hayes said before the match that their attacking play was constantly improving, and she was proved absolutely right. Beth England’s superbly-taken first goal set the tone, Sam Kerr’s smart header made it two (her first goal for the club), before Sophie Ingle’s sensational half-volley flew into the top corner in that early blitz.

92 min: There will be four minutes of added time. The last of the Sunday afternoon winter sun is still shining on the far corner of the pitch. It will be interesting to hear if Arsenal’s players mention that in the post-match analysis. Maybe Zinsberger should invest in a good old-fashioned baseball cap?

90 min: Arsenal’s next match is in the FA Women’s Cup away against West Ham next Sunday – after that, their next league outing is against none other than Manchester City on Sunday 2 Feb. That’s going to be massive.

Meanwhile, Mead hits a good shot from an angle looking for her second of the match, but Berger saves.

89 min: Arsenal’s Lia Walti goes in the book. Ji then hits an ambitious effort from long range. Chelsea’s Sophie Ingle, the Welshwoman scored that memorable goal to make it 3-0, is named player of the match.

85 min: Another Chelsea change as goal-scorer Kerr goes off, and Drew Spence comes on for a five-minute cameo. McCabe then uses her pace again with a bright run down the left for Arsenal, and tries to stand a cross up to the far post, but it hits the roof of the net.

83 min: A spell of pressure and possession for Arsenal. McCabe darts down the left, but her low cross is blocked. The Chelsea back line has been excellent today. They may have missed out on a clean sheet, but their positioning has generally been excellent and they have dealt with almost everything that’s been thrown at them. Solid defending, clinical attacking, and a goal of the season contender. It’s been a decent old day for Chelsea.

81 min: Change for Chelsea. Reiten off, Hannah Blundell on.

78 min: Another Arsenal corner. This one drops to Walti, outside the penalty area, and she hits a speculative right-footed shot. It’s blocked. Just over 10 minutes remaining and Arsenal are playing for pride. Remarkable really, when you consider they sit proudly on top of the WSL after a run of eight straight wins.

77 min: Arsenal get a corner and pump it into the six-yard box, as if to test out Berger’s resolve after that error. Berger is equal to the task and claims it confidently.

A bit of a shocker from Berger in the Chelsea goal. Mead meets a far-post cross with a decent enough header from a tight angle, but Berger should deal with it. Instead, by trying to keep it out, she contrives to deflect it into her own net. Arsenal are on the board, but it is surely too little, too late?

72 min: Before the match there was plenty of talk of Arsenal’s rather thin squad, compared to Chelsea’s relative embarrassment of riches. Recent results – up until today – suggested Arsenal had no problems in that department. But today, they have been dominated, and will need to ask themselves a few tough questions about why it has gone so badly wrong.

Game well and truly over. Chelsea pick Arsenal off on the break, and when a cross comes over from the left, Reiten meets it with a fine header that finds the far corner. The faint hopes Arsenal may have had of a recovery are snuffed out. Will Chelsea look back on this as the day they won the title? They have certainly put things back in their own hands.

65 min: Chelsea’s Mjelde goes in the book for a foul on Van der Donk. Arsenal still can’t build any meaningful pressure. But Miedema makes an excellent early run down the left, charges towards goal, and tries to scoop a cute finish over Berger. It hits the side netting. Miedema had options inside then, too.

62 min: Cuthbert and Walti crunch into a 50-50 tackle in the Chelsea half. Both players were high. The referee awards nothing, but both require treatment.

This is slipping away from Arsenal, to say the least, with under half an hour to play. Will this match prove a decisive momentum-shifter in the WSL title race? If Chelsea win their match in hand, they will be in first place. And importantly the rest of the league have seen that Arsenal, who’d been in such red-hot form, are more than beatable.

59 min: Evans immediately injects a bit of pace and momentum for the hosts. She charges down the right, cuts back from the byline and pokes a low cross, which she can’t quite control, towards the danger zone. Miedema then puts her foot on it but Chelsea repel the danger, counterattack, and Kerr flicks a first-time shot high and wide.

58 min: Mead and Evans on, Quinn and Nobbs off for the Gunners. Is it too late? Nobbs was carrying a knock so probably needed to go off anyway. From a neutral point of view, let’s hope Arsenal can find a goal.

It’s Chelsea on the attack, though – Kerr sprints on to a ball down the right, and hits a right-footed shot which is blocked.

56 min: Montemurro is about to shuffle his pack. It looks like two Arsenal changes will be made imminently.

55 min: McCabe, who has already been booked, concedes another foul. The ref has words and does the round-ball-signal. If Arsenal went down to 10 it would really be all over, if it isn’t already.

53 min: Ingle is penalised for a foul on Nobbs in midfield. Arsenal need to get busy if they are going to get anything from this.

51 min: Another chance for Chelsea – Arsenal half-clear a cross, and Ji has time to bring the ball down on the edge of the area. She smashes her half-volley over the crossbar.

47 min: There was speculation at half-time that Arsenal would switch to 4-3-3 to create some more support for Miedema. It’s certainly hard to believe that Montemurro would keep the same system. Now, McCabe has gone down injured under a heavy challenge from Chelsea’s Bright.

Can Arsenal get back into this? Will Chelsea make it even more emphatic? We will find out in the next 45 minutes. No changes from either side. Chelsea now kicking from left to right, as the TV cameras look at the pitch, and into that sun. But it looks like it’s dropped mostly below the stand.

Up in Burnley, Leicester are winning the day’s first Premier League match 1-0 thanks to a goal from Harvey Barnes. John Brewin has the latest if you require some half-time reading:

The sun always shines on TV, as A-ha once sang. It also appeared to be shining in the eyes of the Arsenal defenders and their goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger as that half unfolded. Chelsea came out firing and goals from England, Kerr and Ingle inside the first 20 minutes left the Gunners with no answer. Ingle’s in particular was a stunning goal. Montemurro’s side have been utterly outclassed so far – but if any team can find a way back from here, it’s Arsenal. I’ll be back soon with the second half.

45 min: Van de Donk, for once, finds herself in an advanced position with the ball at her feet. She tries to curl a cross over but Chelsea deal with it. Arsenal have had no rhythm at all. But now they have a free-kick in a dangerous area, outside the penalty area, which Little will take. She shoots right-footed – but it’s easily dealt with by Berger.

42 min: Cuthbert causes more problems down the Chelsea right. She sends a low right-footed ball towards Kerr, who is making a decent run into the six-yard box, but it’s blocked well by McCabe.

Are Chelsea going to struggle when they have to defend this same end in the second half? The sun is dropping pretty swiftly, so I suspect Arsenal may have experienced by far the worst of it. We shall see.

36 min: Katie McCabe goes in the book for a robust challenge out on the Arsenal left. She’s been visibly frustrated with how this is going. The Gunners are well and truly rattled, and will no doubt jump at the chance to get in for a half-time cup of tea …

32 min: There’s almost a sense that neither set of fans can believe how this has unfolded so far. Chelsea arrived hoping for a win, but this is better than they could possibly have expected. Now Kerr passes up a one-on-one chance to make it four! She really should do better, hitting a left-footed shot well wide from close range.

Montemurro has to get his thinking cap on. Chelsea are all over Arsenal. Kerr storms through again, and at first glance it looks like a penalty as Schnaderbeck slides in – but she got a touch on the ball.

30 min: It was a goal of the season contender from Sophie Ingle, without a shadow of a doubt. If you’ve got BT Sport and you’re not already watching, make sure you switch it on and catch the goals at half-time …

29 min: Good stat from the commentator. Chelsea have already scored more goals, inside half an hour, than Arsenal had conceded all season at home to this point – they’d only shipped two before today.

24 min: Adam Kline-Schoder has emailed in:

“Great game so far. I think Arsenal need a rethink of the midfield if they’re to get anything out of this — and rapidly. It seems to me that Chelsea are always keeping two midfielders deep to prevent Miedema and Nobbs from linking play, and they’re morphing into a 4-4-2 with Kerr and England up top when in possession, the out-to-in movement of Kerr creating a route to bypass Arsenal’s midfield diamond. What I like in particular about Hayes’ setup is that it encourages a partnership between Kerr and England, which can only serve to benefit Chelsea in the long run. What brilliant finishes from both women, and I hope the rest of the game is as good as the start!”

As analysis goes, Adam, I’d say that’s as good as Chelsea’s first 20 minutes. Miedema and Nobbs have barely had a kick. Miedema in particular normally makes it look so easy to find a few yards of space and hurt the opposition either by dropping off or making direct runs into the penalty area. Arsenal’s attack has been blunted almost completely so far by this Chelsea system and it’s a very unfamiliar sight.

Oh, pick that one out! What a hit! A cross drops on the edge of the box, bounces up high, and Ingle meets it first-time with a perfect half-volley, which flies into the far corner like a laser-guided missile. Perfect technique, 3-0, and Chelsea are running riot. You could say it’s a statement of intent. What is this going to do to Arsenal? What is it going to do to Chelsea? It’s sensational. There was a big shout from Arsenal for a penalty just before that, but the referee wasn’t interested, and the Gunners are staring down the barrel of a hammering.

17 min: Arsenal just need to find something from somewhere, and McCabe drills a powerful low shot which forces a good save Berger.

16 min: A Chelsea corner is cleared and Arsenal counterattack again. That is what they’ve been restricted to so far. Chelsea have started like a team on a mission … The extent to which this blinding sun is playing a part in the confusion in the Arsenal defence remains to be seen. I expect it will be mentioned because Zinsberger has looked all at sea with the balls being fired over from the Chelsea left, with the sun shining from that side.

And another! Arsenal seem to be all over the place – a deep cross to the far post from Andersson is met by Kerr who makes this look easy, nodding in with Zinsberger failing to deal with the cross and not getting anywhere close to the header either. That is Kerr’s first goal for the club. Remarkable. Chelsea started brightly, as I said, and they’ve certainly capitalised on their early dominance. They are already well on the way to inflicting another league defeat on the Gunners … but Arsenal will surely wake up soon.

11 min: Nearly 2-0. England chases up a cross which Zinsberger should claim. But the ’keeper stays on her line, perhaps blinded by the bright sun, and England’s header goes over the bar.

What … a … goal. Beth England charges down the right, on to a fine pass into the channel from Reiten. She cuts inside her marker to find a bit of space in the penalty area, and bends an accurate shot beyond a helpless Zinsberger and into the far corner. Class.

9 min: Arsenal counterattack again and Nobbs hits a right-footed shot from distance but it’s blocked. On the balance of play so far you’d say Chelsea are the home team.

7 min: Cuthbert fires a dangerous cross over for Chelsea, but Zinsberger deals with it comfortably. Chelsea are putting the Gunners under some pressure here though. Can they convert a positive opening into a goal? Now they have a corner …

5 min: In glorious winter sunshine, Arsenal mount a swift counterattack – again down the left – after a short spell of Chelsea pressure. McCabe sends a low cross into the danger area, but it’s dealt with comfortably by the Chelsea back line. The match hasn’t really settled yet, but both teams are showing a willingness to get the ball down and play.

3 min: Now Chelsea enjoy a little bit of possession. Andersson finds space on their left flank, and pumps a deep cross to the far post, but it’s a touch overhit and goes out for a goal-kick which Zinsberger will take.

2 min: Miedema gets involved nice and early, sending a good cross from the Arsenal left towards her strike partner Van der Donk. But Chelsea goalkeeper Berger claims it at the near post.

Arsenal, playing in their traditional red and white kit, get us under way. Chelsea are playing in their own home strip with blue jerseys and shorts with white trim.

The teams are out on the pitch. The fans are in fine voice. Here we go then …

Arsenal boss Montemurro speaks to BT Sport: “It’s not about revenge [for the league defeat in October], it’s about us doing what we need to do … it’s about winning every game, as opposed to this one. We don’t have a lot of teams in this league, you can’t afford to slip during the year. This game is as important as any other.”

And Chelsea manager Hayes: “It’s a brilliant advert for women’s football .. Arsenal have done a great job to fill the stadium today. The title won’t be decided by today’s match, we still gave that game in hand, and there is so much quality in the league. I’ve seen our attacking performances improve week-on-week since Christmas … I know the qualities my team possesses.”

“We’re a team that wants the ball and wants to keep the ball and when we have the opportunity to get comfortable and play the way we want to play, I’m sure we’ll find the spaces to exploit them.”

Thus spoke Joe Montemurro, looking ahead to today’s eagerly-anticipated encounter.

Read Suzanne Wrack’s article here!

Suzanne Wrack has previewed today’s sold-out encounter. Warm up for kick-off by reading it here:

Pundit Rachel Brown-Finnis makes it 24 away matches unbeaten for Chelsea. Whether it’s 24 or 26, it’s a quite amazing record on the road.

Formation-wise, Arsenal are lining up with a 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield, with Chelsea playing 4-2-3-1.

Clare Balding, on presenting duty for BT Sport, puts a positive spin on things for Chelsea: win today, and their game in hand, and they’d be at the top of the table. This truly is a six-pointer. Kick-off is under 30 minute away. Any predictions? Get in touch …

Vivianne Miedema leads the line for Arsenal, almost needless to say. The Dutchwoman has knocked in 14 goals and effected eight assists already this season. Lisa Evans is left out for the first time this season with Katie McCabe coming in.

Kim Little starts after marking her 200th appearance for the club with that late winner against Reading in the cup on Wednesday.

Arsenal: Zinsberger, Schnaderbeck, Williamson, Quinn, Walti, Roord, Little, Nobbs, Van de Donk, McCabe, Miedema. Subs: Peyraud-Magnin, Evans, Maier, Filis, Grant, Mead.

Hayes makes five changes following the midweek win against Arsenal. Recent high-profile Australian recruit Sam Kerr starts.

Chelsea: Berger, Bright, Ingle, England, Ji, Reiten, Eriksson (capt.), Mjelde, Kerr Cuthbert Andersson. Subs: Telford, Blundell, Cooper, Napier, Bachmann, Spence, Carter.

Today's team to face Arsenal! ?

Thoughts? #CFCW pic.twitter.com/ERZBA6pbkw

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) January 19, 2020

“How do you prepare for a surprise?”

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes was in philosophical mood this week as she looked ahead to today’s crunch encounter with Joe Montemurro’s Arsenal. “I don’t know,” Hayes admitted, “but I’m sure I’ll be ready.”

Expecting the unexpected is the order of the day for Hayes at Meadow Park, then, but one thing is for sure: her team can scarcely afford to lose this afternoon. Although they have played a game fewer than league leaders and title rivals Arsenal, defeat would see the Blues slip seven points adrift in the race for the WSL.

This increasingly impressive Arsenal outfit have now won eight straight WSL matches: their previous defeat came at the hands of Chelsea all the way back in October. In that time, the free-flowing Gunners have scored 27 league goals and conceded just twice. They’ve won 10 in a row in all competitions. It all adds up to what looks like a fearsomely difficult task for the visitors, but considering Chelsea are unbeaten in a mammoth 26 away matches in the WSL, they won’t go into the game with any fear.

Both of these teams come off the back of FA WSL Cup quarter-final successes in midweek. The Gunners snuck past Reading thanks to an 86th-minute Kim Little goal, while Chelsea eased beyond Aston Villa 3-1 to make the last four. It should be a high-quality, entertaining affair on a bracing day in Boreham Wood. Team news is coming up.