When Arsenal and Chelsea face off in the final of England’s FA Cup, it will be a momentous occasion for two clubs that have seen their fortunes change drastically over the last 50 years. They’re also on opposite sides of an ongoing debate about whether women should play football professionally.
The “womens fa cup final” is a football competition held in England. It was first contested in 1921 as the Women’s Football Association Cup and has been called the world’s oldest international football tournament. Arsenal will face Chelsea for the 50th anniversary of this competition.
Chelsea is in their fifth Women’s FA Cup final, while Arsenal is in their seventeenth.
| The date is Sunday, December 5th. Wembley Stadium is the venue. |
| From 13:30 GMT, watch live on One, iPlayer, and the Sport website. |
The postponed 2020-21 FA Cup final pits the top two teams in the Women’s Super League against each other at Wembley on Sunday.
When Arsenal takes on its rivals for the third time in six years, they will be looking to add to their record 14 cup victories.
Chelsea last won the cup in 2018, defeating Arsenal 3-1 in the final, after the Gunners had won it two years before.
After the tournament was postponed due to the epidemic, the Blues could finally clinch a domestic treble.
The 50th anniversary edition of the Women’s FA Cup finally reaches its culmination on Sunday, 455 days after it started on September 6, 2020 with an additional preliminary round.
Chelsea and Arsenal’s journey has been much shorter, since they just reached the fourth round proper in April.
From 13:30 GMT, the action will be shown live on One, iPlayer, and the website, with audio commentary available on 5 Live Sports Extra. From 13:00 GMT, the Sport website will provide full live written commentary, analysis, and reaction.
Chelsea faces a tougher relegation battle, with Heath among the Gunners certain to fall out.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has confirmed that Pernille Harder of Denmark and Aniek Nouwen of the Netherlands are both available for the final.
“It’s a lift,” she added, “since both are significant contributions to our squad.”
Hayes couldn’t specify what role the two would play since her team will only convene in full for the first time since the international break on Saturday, only 24 hours before the final.
After departing the Lionesses’ camp before Tuesday’s triumph over Latvia to have a “few days relaxation,” England striker Nikita Parris is available for Arsenal.
Tobin Heath, a two-time World Cup winner for the United States, will be unavailable, but Gunners manager Jonas Eidevall believes Simone Boye Sorensen, Jen Beattie, and Caitlin Foord might play.
Arsenal defender Leah Williamson, who has been ruled out due to a hamstring issue, has expressed her disappointment at missing the climax.
She told 5 Live Breakfast, “These are the games you play football for.” “What a contest, Chelsea-Arsenal; it’s uncommon that the top two teams battle it out on this level.”
Arsenal’s journey to Wembley
Arsenal has advanced to their record-extending 17th final.
They’ve scored 27 goals and allowed just one in four games, starting with a ten-goal win against Gillingham in April.
Joe Montemurro’s career as Arsenal manager came to an end with a 9-0 win over Crystal Palace in the last 16 and, after the pandemic’s forced halt, Eidevall was in charge of the Gunners’ quarter-final triumph over Tottenham and last-four victory over Brighton.
Chelsea’s journey to Wembley Stadium
Chelsea has not scored nearly as many goals as Manchester United, but they have been as spectacular on their road to this match.
They have yet to surrender a goal in the tournament and have managed to score 15 goals despite the fact that their path to the final has been somewhat arduous.
It began with a 5-0 victory against London City Lionesses in round four, followed by victories over fellow WSL teams Everton, Birmingham City, and Manchester City on their way to their first Wembley trip in three years.
‘Two top-flight teams’
The cup “will be anyone’s to take,” according to Chelsea captain Magdalena Eriksson, who noted that both teams are in good form.
“It truly doesn’t get much better,” she continued. “We are fully aware that this will be a challenging assignment.
“They’re in excellent form, and we’ve been in terrific form since that game [on the first weekend of the WSL season], so it’s two sides who are really on top of their game.”
“It’ll be a 50-50 match, and it’ll be up to us to be prepared for the game and demonstrate that we’ve learned from our last meeting at the Emirates.”
The Gunners won 3-2 at home in the Premier League in September, handing Chelsea their lone defeat in all competitions this season.
Captain Kim Little, 31, is aiming for a fourth Women’s FA Cup victory, as well as ensuring that the club’s pandemic-affected 2020-21 season does not go down in history as a failure.
“We want to win trophies every year, and we haven’t yet,” she added. “We’ll be pushed to do so on Sunday.”
“I’ve had some amazing FA Cup experiences, and I’m trying to produce more.”
‘A fantastic opportunity for the women’s game to shine.’
After eight games, just one point separates Arsenal and reigning WSL champions Chelsea in the league.
Both teams are also in good shape to reach the quarter-finals of the Winners League, where Arsenal’s sole defeat this season came in the group stage against European champions Barcelona.
Count to ten. Katie Chapman, the winner of the Women’s FA Cup with both Arsenal and Chelsea, thinks it’s “difficult” to select a favorite.
She does, however, predict that Chelsea, for whom she serves as an ambassador, will win 2-1.
“When you look at both teams and how much skill they have, they both have strength and depth,” Chapman said.
“If anything can swing it, Emma Hayes has done a fantastic job with her group in the games that have come up.” She rotated the team and was able to rest some of the players.
“I’m confident it’ll be a fantastic showcase for women’s basketball.”
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The “Chelsea vs Arsenal” is a match that will be played in the 50th anniversary of the competition. The two teams have met twice before, with Chelsea winning both times. Reference: chelsea vs arsenal.
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