Arsenal host rivals Chelsea in a crucial Women’s Super League clash at the Emirates.
The Gunners have made a poor start to the new season with Jonas Eidevall already under pressure following a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League this week. Eidevall described the visit of champions Chelsea as “must-win” with his side winning just one of their opening three games of the season, and could be knocked out of the title race already should Chelsea continue their winning start.
The Blues have made a fine start under Sonia Bompastor with a 3-2 victory over Real Madrid on Tuesday night adding to opening wins against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in the WSL. Under Emma Hayes, Chelsea lost this fixture 4-1 at the Emirates last season but roared back to win their fifth consecutive title, although it was the Gunners who triumphed in the Continental Cup final last March.
Follow live updates from Arsenal vs Chelsea in the Women’s Super League in this afternoon’s live blog.
Arsenal vs Chelsea LIVE: Latest WSL updates
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Arsenal host Chelsea in WSL London derby, live on BBC One
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Pressure on Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall ahead of ‘must-win’ clash
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Sonia Bompastor has won three from three since replacing Emma Hayes
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Arsenal XI: Van Domselaar, Fox, Wubben-Moy, Williamson, McCabe, Walti, Little; Foord, Mead, Caldentey; Russo
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Chelsea XI: Hampton, Bronze, Buchanan, Bright, Baltimore; Nusken, Kaptein, Reiten, James, Rytting Kaneryd; Ramirez
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4’ GOAL! Ramirez hooks in a brilliant effort from a corner [ARS 0-1 CHE]
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16’ GOAL! Baltimore heads in from close range after a great cross from James [ARS 0-2 CHE]
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44’ GOAL! A superb solo effort from Foord gives Arsenal hope [ARS 1-2 CHE]
Arsenal WFC 1 – 2 Chelsea FC Women
HALF-TIME! Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
14:34 , Chris Wilson
47 mins
McCabe and Mead stand over the set-piece, around 25 yards out.
McCabe curls an effort over and the referee blows for half-time.
Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
14:33 , Chris Wilson
46 mins
Caldentey wins a free-kick midway into the Chelsea half and this should be a final chance of the half.
McCabe is over it – it’s played in after a mini-routine but Arsenal win another free-kick, on the edge of the box, after a foul from James.
Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
14:32 , Chris Wilson
45 mins
There’ll be two minutes of added time at the Emirates.
Arsenal have managed to capitalise on their possession and grab one back – can they go one better before the whistle?
GOAL! Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
14:30 , Chris Wilson
43 mins
GOAL! A superb effort from Caitlin Foord.
The Australian picks the ball up on the left wing and cuts inside to skip past Bronze. She still has plenty to do as the angle is very tight, but she curls it against the inside of the post and into the net! A brilliant goal.
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:28 , Chris Wilson
42 mins
Great work from Buchanan to win the foot race with Mead and cover the long ball forward.
From the corner, McCabe’s ball in is headed away and Arsenal build again.
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:26 , Chris Wilson
39 mins
Arsenal are having the better of the closing stages of this half, but can they capitalise?
Not yet, as Rytting Kaneryd’s cross is headed away by Wubben-Moy.
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:24 , Chris Wilson
36 mins
Russo drives into the box and wins a corner off Bronze. This one comes to Russo but her first two efforts are blocked before Hampton collects the final cross.
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:22 , Chris Wilson
35 mins
Some good work from Fox down the wing brings an Arsenal corner.
It’s a brilliant delivery to the back post and Williamson is there, unmarked, but she’s put off by teammate Wubben-Moy and she can’t get clean contact!
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:20 , Chris Wilson
33 mins
First booking of the day as Williamson is late and she brings down Ramirez.
From the free-kick, it falls to Lauren James and she rifles over from distance.
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:18 , Chris Wilson
32 mins
Russo and Caldentey try to combine on the counter but they’re outnumbered as Chelsea manage to get back.
The home side recycle possession but Mead has strayed offside just as it looked like they had an opportunity.
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:15 , Chris Wilson
29 mins
Russo fizzes a ball across the box and Foord is there but it just beats her and she can’t get it under control.
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:14 , Chris Wilson
27 mins
Both players are okay to carry on, and we start again with Arsenal in possession.
Williamson gets into a sticky situation under pressure from Reiten, who wins it on the edge of the box and pings it across the James. The England midfielder tries to take it on the volley but blasts it over the bar.
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:11 , Chris Wilson
25 mins
McCabe and Nusken collide and there’s a brief break in play.
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:09 , Chris Wilson
23 mins
It was actually briliiant defending from Buchanan there, as Williamson was arriving at the back post for the tap-in.
Ramirez leads the Chelsea counter, but it’s stopped by Fox and McCabe.
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:08 , Chris Wilson
21 mins
Some great play from Foord and Little almost creates an opening in the Chelsea box, but Buchanan is equal to it.
Arsenal recycle it to Foord on the wing and she cuts inside and skips past Lucy Bronze before fizzing in a shot that is deflected over for a corner.
The set-piece delivery is a good one and Hampton misses it, but Chelsea eventually clear.
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:05 , Chris Wilson
18 mins
Just as Arsenal had started to look settled, they go further behind. Eidevall may be under some real pressure if it stays like this!
GOAL! Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
14:03 , Chris Wilson
16 mins
GOAL! A lovely goal from the away side.
It starts on the right wing as Rytting Kaneryd skips bak inside past one challenge and lays it off to Lauren James. The England international shimmies to skip past a challenge of her own, and plays a brilliant ball across goal to Baltimore, who nods in from close range.
Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea
13:59 , Chris Wilson
13 mins
Both sides seem to have settled now, with Arsenal also looking comfortable in possession after a frantic first 10 minutes. They win a corner that is headed away by Bright.
Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea
13:57 , Chris Wilson
10 mins
Bright gets a warning as she cuts down Russo as Arsenal started the counter. The away side win possession back quickly though, and they look like they’re starting to get into their rhythm.
Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea
13:54 , Chris Wilson
7 mins
A frenetic start at the Emirates – real end-to-end stuff.
It’s Arsenal’s chance to go on the attack again, but Foord’s cross is cut out before Little drives an effort over from just outside the box.
Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea
13:52 , Chris Wilson
5 mins
Arsenal carve out a half-chance almost immediately but Russo can’t get clean contact on the header.
The home side come again and Russo drives into the box, but a brilliant tackle diverts it away.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea
13:51 , Chris Wilson
4 mins
GOAL! Out of nowhere from the corner!
The ball is delivered into the Arsenal box and it falls to Ramirez. She’s got her back to goal but she hooks a brilliant shot over her head and into the corner!
It looked like it had gone wide but it nestles in the corner of the net for 1-0!
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
13:49 , Chris Wilson
3 mins
Now Chelsea are almost clean through again as Kaptein threads it through to Ramirez, but her shot is covered well by Fox.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
13:48 , Chris Wilson
2 mins
A mix-up in the Chelsea defence between Buchanan and Bright gives Russo a half-chance with a header, but the England striker can only head over the bar.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
13:47 , Chris Wilson
1 min
Reiten briefly looks as if she’s clean through 30 seconds in, but she’s flagged for offside.
KICK-OFF! Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
13:46 , Chris Wilson
The away side get us underway in north London.
Arsenal vs Chelsea LIVE
13:43 , Chris Wilson
The teams have emerged from the tunnel, and the captains are doing the coin toss.
Arsenal vs Chelsea LIVE
13:40 , Chris Wilson
We’re just five minutes away from kick-off at the Emirates now.
It promises to be an intriguing match between Arsenal and the defending champions – can Chelsea lay down a marker for the season ahead in their first real challenge of the league campaign so far?
Jonas Eidevall talks up Chelsea ahead of Emirates test
13:35 , Chris Wilson
Arsenal sit sixth in the table coming into Saturday’s game against Chelsea and Eidevall insisted he is looking forward to a challenging game.
“The games that they have played, you can see that (Sonia Bompastor’s) set a clear trademark on how they’re playing, both in and out of possession,” Eidevall added.
“I think they look like a really good football team, so it’s going to be a match between two really good football teams and we look forward to that challenge.”
Bompastor speaks pre-game
13:30 , Chris Wilson
In her pre-match press conference yesterday, new Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor told the media that her team are “ready for a big game, a derby” against Arsenal.
She added that her players are mentally ready to play at the Emirates, and although it’s a “special” fixture, the Blues boss believes it’s “three points, the same as the other ones”.
Form guide
13:22 , Chris Wilson
Arsenal currently sit sixth in the WSL after their first three matches, having won one and drawn two. They beat Leicester City 1-0, and have drawn 2-2 to Manchester City and 0-0 with Everton.
In the Champions League, they lost 5-2 to Bayern Munich in midweek.
Form guide
13:15 , Chris Wilson
Chelsea sit second in the WSL after two games this season, having beaten Aston Villa 1-0 and Crystal Palace 7-0. They sit one point behind Manchester City, who have won two and drawn one of their opening three matches.
In midweek, Chelsea ran out 3-2 winners against Real Madrid in their opening match of the Women’s Champions League.
Head-to-head
13:07 , Chris Wilson
These two sides have met a total of 59 times, with Arsenal winning 32, Chelsea winning 21 and six ending as draws.
Their most recent competitive meeting came in the League Cup final last season, when Arsenal ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a goal from Emma Blackstenius.
Chelsea ready for ‘tough’ Arsenal in derby to savour
12:57 , Lawrence Ostlere
After last weekend’s fixture against Manchester United was postponed due to congestion concerns, Chelsea were in Champions League action on Tuesday, opening their campaign with a 3-2 win against Real Madrid.
Head coach Sonia Bompastor reflected on a good performance from her side, telling a press conference: “I think we played on Tuesday and had a good result.
“We were able to manage the week the way we wanted to and we’re ready for tomorrow, a big game, a derby and that’s the most important for us to get in a place where we want to.”
Unbeaten Chelsea make the short trip to north London for Saturday’s game at the Emirates and Bompastor is looking forward to the derby experience.
She said: “Being a manager I know what it is to play a derby from my experience, even if it was not the same ones, it was still derbies.
“When you are a competitive person – I know my players are competitive, I am competitive – we just want to play these games in front of fans, in a nice stadium with a very tough team.”
Arsenal vs Chelsea confirmed team news and line-ups
12:49 , Jamie Braidwood
Arsenal make four changes from the midweek defeat at Bayern, with Daphne van Domselaar starting in goal. Lotte Wubben-Moy, Beth Mead and Alessia Russo also return to the starting line-up.
Chelsea make just two changes from the win over Real Madrid as Hannah Hampton returns in goal following illness and Kadeisha Buchanan starts following suspension. Wieke Kaptein keeps her place in midfield, but Erin Cuthbert is back on the bench.
Arsenal XI: Van Domselaar; Fox, Wubben-Moy, Williamson, McCabe; Walti, Little; Foord, Mead, Caldentey; Russo
Chelsea XI: Hampton, Bronze, Buchanan, Bright, Baltimore; Nusken, Kaptein, Reiten, James, Rytting Kaneryd; Ramirez
Jonas Eidevall: Bayern defeat left Arsenal with ‘bitter feeling’
12:36 , Lawrence Ostlere
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall has urged his side to put their disappointing midweek Champions League trip to Bayern Munich behind them ahead of their Women’s Super League clash with Chelsea.
A late hat-trick from former Blues forward Pernille Harder saw the Gunners defeated 5-2 in Munich on Wednesday night, just days after a frustrating goalless draw in the league to Everton.
Reflecting on the Bayern defeat, Eidevall told a press conference: “I think it’s the same as I said after the game, our first half is in many parts a decent game of football from our side.
“We’re really disappointed with how we acted in the last 15-20 minutes in the game and I think the last two goals we conceded should not happen like that.
“That of course leaves us with a bitter feeling; it’s a tough learning point for us to take but we need to do that in order to get to where we want to be and we need to look forward to tomorrow.”
Arsenal v Chelsea – predicted line-ups
12:24 , Lawrence Ostlere
Arsenal XI: Zinsberger, McCabe, Codina, Williamson, Fox, Walti, Little, Foord, Mead, Caldentey, Russo
Chelsea XI: Musovic, Baltimore, Bjorn, Bright, Bronze, James, Nusken, Kaptein, Reiten, Ramirez, Rytting Kaneryd
Arsenal v Chelsea – team news
12:13 , Lawrence Ostlere
Leah Williamson and Steph Catley are expected to be available for the match after recovering from their recent injuries. Laura Wienroither and Lina Hurtig are still on the sidelines however, with Victoria Pelova continuing her recovery from an ACL injury.
Arsenal v Chelsea – WSL live
12:02 , Lawrence Ostlere
Arsenal take on Chelsea in the Women’s Super League at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, as the Gunners bid to put pressure on those at the top of the table.
Chelsea have had a flawless start to the season so far, winning both of their matches and scoring eight goals without conceding.
Arsenal on the other hand have only won one of their opening three matches, but are still unbeaten having drawn the other two.
Jonas Eidevall’s side were beaten 5-2 at home to Bayern Munich in the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday with former Chelsea player Pernille Harder scoring a hat-trick.
Arsenal v Chelsea – WSL live
10:50 , Lawrence Ostlere
Welcome along to live coverage of Arsenal v Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, as the Gunners aim to puncture the Blues’ perfect season.
