Here is Suzanne Wrack’s report:
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Arsenal should be proud of their performance and on another day they would have won it easily but their final ball and finishing cost them in the end.
Chelsea players a celebrating at the opposite side of the pitch to their fans, which is a bit odd. This probably needed better planning.
The Arsenal players have taken their silver medals and now the Chelsea players have theirs around necks.
Berger: “It feels unbelievable. I think everyone put in a great shift. I am proud of my team.”
England: “We like to make it hard to ourselves, but credit to the girls.
“I am over the moon to get the winner. I thought Arsenal were great today - they kept pushing.”
Kerr: “It was a team performance. There was always going to be pressure but that’s because we put pressure on ourselves.”
Here is the winner!
CHELSEA HAVE WON IT! 🏆
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 29, 2020
Beth England pops up in stoppage time to win the Continental League Cup for the Blues! 🔵 pic.twitter.com/vXfb7jfI3c
A sign of Arsenal’s injury problems was provided by the fact they were unable to make a single substitution.
That is the first time Chelsea have celebrated their first Continental Cup trophy. They certainly battled for their victory, showing how much they wanted it, despite their manager’s general lack of interest in the competition.
Full-time! Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
What a finish! Arsenal really deserved to win it but their finishing was pretty dreadful for the for the majority of the match, although Chelsea’s Berger also made some crucial saves throughout. England showed what a composed striker is worth to a team with being in the right place at the right time when it mattered.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea (England 90+2)
England gets in at the back post to slide the ball home after some great work by Kerr and then Mjelde. Chelsea have won it!
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90 mins: Five minutes added on!
89 mins: Nobbs takes the ball down the right and swings in a cross for Miedema to attack but Berger takes hold the ball, only to take a nudge to her painful stomach from the Dutch striker.
87 mins: Arsenal are going at Chelsea now! The ball is played through to Miedema in the box but she is crowded out and the ball cleared out to Foord, who smashes her shot towards goal but it is deflected wide by a defender.
The corner is pumped to the back post, then Nobbs lifts it over Berger and Eriksson just beats Quinn to it to prevent a certain goal.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea (Williamson, 85)
The resulting corner from Berger’s save bounces around in the box, allowing Williamson to divert the ball into the bottom corner from six yards out.
83 mins: What an incredible save! Foord fires a cross to Miedema, who controls it and smashes a shot from a couple of yards out straight into the stomach of Berger, saving a certain goal but causing the goalkeeper plenty of pain.
81 mins: Miedema gets to the byline and volleys a cross to the back post but Foord can’t complete the job and has her effort headed clear.
McCabe is the latest to go into the book for kicking Kerr in the knee.
79 mins: Thorisdottir’s first impact is to stand on Quinn’s foot. It looks like a nasty one but he referee gives nothing.
77 mins: Chelsea make the first sub of the game, as Thorisdottir replaces Ji in a defensive change.
Cuthbert flies into a challenge with McCabe and catches the Arsenal defender relatively late around the ankle, resulting in a booking.
75 mins: A Chelsea corner goes through to Evans at the back post and despite having time to clear she sends the ball straight to Bright, who fires a shot just wide.
Dirk van de Graaf says: “I think that Montemurro is too rigid in his instructions, that’s why Arsenal is so poor in finishing against good teams. To compare with Klopp: the players know how to adapt to win.”
73 mins: Berger is down on the ground awaiting treatment. She seems to have a problem with her ankle. I am not sure how that has happened ...
71 mins: A corner is swung in from the left by Chelsea, which Zinsberger flaps at but gets enough on it to clear away from the danger area.
Foord hits a shot but it lands on the head of Miedema who directs the ball towards the bottom corner, only to see Berger fingertip the header wide.
69 mins: Evans plays in an inch-perfect pass into Nobbs, who spins on the edge of the area and fires wide.
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67 mins: Nobbs curls in a dangerous cross from the left but no Arsenal player makes an attempt to get on the end of it. I wish Arsenal players would take a bit of a risk and gamble on scoring.
65 mins: Another cross into the box from Arsenal and another inept attempt to score as Miedema fails to beat the much shorter Mjelde in the air.
Down at the other end, Kerr is played through by Reiten but Zinsberger is out quickly, blocking the original shot and the Australian can only squirt the follow up wide.
63 mins: Mjedle is dispossessed 25 yards from her own goal and the ball is played into Miedema but her drag back is poorly executed and Chelsea win the ball back.
Cuthbert moans about being caught by Nobbs, the Chelsea player takes a stud to the ankle but there is nothing in it.
61 mins: Arsenal are enjoying another healthy spell of possession in the final third but Miedema snatches at a shot and it is blocked. She then hits a more vicious shot from further out but it goes just wide.
59 mins: Even Nobbs is making errors. McCabe sends the ball down the line for her but she fails to control it, allowing the ball to go under her foot and out of play.
Van de Donk receives the ball into her feet but is pulled back by Eriksson 20 yards from goal, resulting in the defender being rightly booked.
57 mins: A ball is lifted over the top for England to chase but Zinsberger reads it well and comes out to clear the danger just ahead of the Chelsea striker.
55 mins: Miedema has had one half chance and not much else. You would not expect such a quiet game from someone with her record. Can she up it?
Updated
53 mins: Ingle and Reiten combine well on the edge of the box, allowing the latter to get a shot off, only to see it fly just over the bar.
51 mins: Roord directs play 25 yards from goal, knocks it to Evans who slips it through the defence in the hope of completing a one-two but the midfielder does not make the run and the ball drifts out of play.
49 mins: Arsenal once again fall at the final hurdle as Miedema sends a pass out to McCabe in space but her low cross is straight at a Chelsea defender. This must be highly frustrating to watch for any Arsenal fan.
47 mins: A free-kick is lifted into the box, which Eriksson gets flicks towards goal but Zinsberger grabs hold of the header.
Second-half
Here we go again!
Arsenal do not have many options on the bench but they are playing well, they just need to find a little extra in the final third. Can they do it?
Adam Kline-Schoder has emailed in with some proper analysis: “It’s interesting to me how much the tactical setup from Chelsea is similar to when the thrashing they dished out to Arsenal earlier in the season. Ingle and Ji are both staying deep to stop Miedema and Nobbs from finding space. Kerr and England are drifting into pockets of space and causing all sorts of confusion in Arsenal’s backline; what a partnership that’s turned out to be. Perhaps I’m oversimplifying -- and am happy to take that criticism -- but given how similar Chelsea are set up, thus far this doesn’t exactly speak volumes of Montemurro’s tactical nous and flexibility.”
Half-time: Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea
Arsenal have looked good on the ball but utterly dreadful in the final third. Chelsea, on the other hand, have put in a solid performance and England did the business when it matter.
45 mins: One minute added on.
44 mins: Kerr and England are two-on-two with the Arsenal centre-backs. The Australian finds her strike partner who drives into the area but her vicious shot is blocked by a covering defender.
42 mins: Some truly incompetent attacking and defending from a Chelsea corner. First Miedema misses her header at the front post, allowing it to bounce to the back where a header is blocked by an Arsenal defender but then the fail to clear the ball and Ingle is allowed to fire a shot from 25 yards which flashes wide.
40 mins: Kerr battles in the box with Schnaderbeck and just manages to get away a shot when she has not right to but Zinsberger spreads herself well to block it. Ji then whacks the rebound into Kerr’s back.
Miedema finds plenty of space in the area but hits an early shot into the side netting.
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38 mins: There a couple of nutmegs in a row but the play is curtailed by a foul on Nobbs. Roord then brings down Ji to even the foul count up and end a scrappy spell of play.
Arsenal try to play out from the back, which is a nice idea but it just seems to get them into a panic. Schnaderbeck receives the ball 20 yards from her own goal and immediately gives it away.
36 mins: The Gunners are on top here but are really struggling when it matters. Foord is the latest to overplay a through ball, sending it 10 yards ahead of Miedema. Even Usain Bolt would not catch such a dreadful pass.
34 mins: Arsenal knock it around on the edge of the box until a cross is lumped into the area, which Berger punches clear. Arsenal having all of the ball but never look like scoring.
32 mins: Nobbs and Van de Donk play around 10 passes between the two players, which shows how Arsenal have lacked a slight cutting edge in the final third.
30 mins: Almost a second for England, as she sprints to get onto the end of a Reiten cross but the unmarked striker heads it a yard wide.
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28 mins: Arsenal produce a slick move, with Foord flicking a pass through to Evans, whose pullback is turned behind by Chelsea.
Moments later, McCabe punts a long ball into the box, finding the head of Quinn who steers it slowly wide.
26 mins: Roord collects the ball 20 yards from goal, gets it out of her feet but drags her shot from the edge of the area just wide of the net.
Down the other end, Cuthbert lifts a cross into the box but it is too high for England, who heads it well wide.
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24 mins: England is hassling the whole Arsenal team and takes a late tackle from McCabe, which could be a sign of the frustration the Gunners are feeling.
22 mins: Evans almost has too many options when dribbling towards the area but fails to find a red shirt, instead passing the ball straight to Reiten, who is all to happy to clear the ball.
20 mins: Miedema goes round the outside and hits a powerful shot from an acute angle which Berger palms over the bar with minimal fuss. The resulting corner swings straight out of play without touching anyone.
18 mins: Arsenal do look the livelier despite being behind but they have played some mediocre final balls.
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16 mins: There is some pinball in the Arsenal box as neither strikers nor defenders manage to control the situation. In the end, Kerr flicks an Ingle cross wide to end a dangerous spell.
14 mins: Foord slips the ball through to a marauding Nobbs but her first-time strike with her left foot is repelled by Berger.
12 mins: Arsenal appeal for a penalty after Williamson controls a free-kick in the box but then has her feet taken away from her by Ji. It looks like a penalty but the referee shakes her head. Seconds later, McCabe whips in a cross which Quinn heads towards goal but Berger is well positioned and palms clear.
10 mins: How will Arsenal recover from going behind early on? They have suffered at the hands of Chelsea already this season and could fear another heavy loss.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea (England, 8)
Reiten looks set to give Chelsea the lead after drifting into space in the area but with the goal gaping, an Arsenal defender gets in a good block. Arsenal fail to clear the ball and Andersson lifts a cross to the back post for Mjedle to knock down to England, who sweeps home.
Updated
6 mins: Bright whacks a long pass down but it bounces into the arms of the Arsenal goalkeeper.
4 mins: Foord wins a corner off Eriksson, but the set-piece does not beat the first defender. Arsenal are playing the better stuff early on and look to be operating at a higher intensity.
2 mins: Keer spins Williamson but her cross is straight into the hands of Zinsberger.
During the pre-match handshakes, Leah Williamson gave her jacket to a mascot to keep them warm in what will be seen as a ‘nice touch’.
Kick-off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
The stands at the City Ground are reasonably well populated but not all of them are open.
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“We’ve made it clear we’ve never made this final,” Emma Hayes points out. “We are absolutely here to win it.”
The final frontier.
Unloved, you say?
Warming up ...
Looking sharp 🔥🔥🔥 #ContiCup 🏆 pic.twitter.com/TjIuZI7OiR
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 29, 2020
It looks breezy in Nottingham and Clare Balding is wearing a bobble hat. More as we get it.
Sam Kerr starts for Chelsea today. Her manager, Emma Hayes, thinks it will be a few months before we see the best of her. It would be a big boost if she can have a telling impact on today’s match.
Gunning for glory ...
In terms of team news, you have got to admit that the Arsenal bench looks very weak. Due to injuries they are unable to fill it and have been forced to call upon three teenagers to fill up some of the space.
Brian Clough continues to inspire ...
Teams: Arsenal v Chelsea
Arsenal: Zinsberger, Evans, Quinn, Schnaderbeck, McCabe, Williams, Roord, Van de Donk, Nobbs, Miedema, Foord
Subs: Peyraud-Magnin, Maier, Filis, Grant, Mace
Chelsea: Berger, Bright, Ingle, England, Ji, Reiten, Eriksson, Mjedle, Kerr, Cuthbert, Andersson
Subs: Telford, Thorisdottir, Blundell, Carter, Cooper, Spence, Bachmann
Preamble
Good afternoon!
The first piece of silverware of the season is up for grabs at the City Ground. Arsenal and Chelsea are in the mix for the WSL title, so will be hoping to earn a psychological edge for the run-in by lifting the trophy today.
Arsenal are without Kim Little, Beth Mead and Lia Wälti, which is a a blow, especially considering the last time the two sides met, Chelsea ran out 4-1 winners. Jordan Nobbs will lead out Arsenal in Little’s absence and will be aiming for glory to make up for a prolonged period out of the side last season due to a serious knee injury. Few would back against another Arsenal triumph, seeing as they have won the competition on five previous occasions.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has previously said “get rid of the Continental Cup”, so she must really be looking to this showpiece event. One suspects Hayes might be slightly giddier if her team are victorious. Although she seems intent on downplaying her side’s chances. “This is Arsenal’s trophy,” she said in the buildup to the match.
Anyway ... should be a cracker!
