Key events
Lord Herman Ouseley: While the Premier League and English Football League did the square root of nothing whatsoever to mark the passing of the anti-discrimination campaigner and founder of Kick It Out last weekend, it’s worth noting that the players of both teams on the pitch this afternoon are wearing black armbands in tribute to the great man. May he rest in peace.
More correspondence: “It’s a particular sadness for Arsenal fans to see Beth Mead operating at what: 50 or 60% of how incisive she used to be,” writes Charles Antaki.
“Since coming back from her injury she’s been barely recognisable. The team as a whole has lacked precision, confidence and drive; but it hurts more when when a fan favourite starts to fade.”
An email: “Foord deserved that,” writes Ian Porter. “By far Arsenal’s greatest threat. Wondering whether sentiment should be put aside and the invisible Kim Little removed at half time.”
On the subject of putting sentiment side, Leah Williamson has had a nightmare first half for Arsenal and been given the total runaround by Mayra Ramirez. In fairness to Williamson, she’s not long back from injury and probably not totally match fit, but as she’s on a yellow card it would be no great surprise to see her benched for the second half.
Half-time: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
Peep! Referee Cheryl Foster signals for the break and Arsenal go in for their half-time brew just a goal down despite some catatrophically bad defending that allowed Mayra Ramirez and Sandy Baltimore to give Chelsea what looked like an unassailable lead. In the final 10 minutes of the game, however, Arsenal gradually grew into the game and an opportunistic strike from Caitlin Foord has given them a lifeline.
45+1 min: That goal has woken up an Emirates crowd who had previously been sitting in seething silence at the sight of their team put in a shift during the first 30 minutes that was so bad it genuinely beggared belief. If they can get into the dressing-room at half-time just one goal behind, they’ll be delighted. The whistle goes for the break and we have a game on our hands.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea (Foord 43)
Arsenal pull a goal back! It’s been coming and Caitlin Foord scores with a wonderful individual effort. With the ball at her feet on the byline, she somehow skips past Lucy Bronze, steps out to create an angle for herself and instead of shooting for the near post, curls a right-footed effort around Hannah Hampton and inside the far post. That’s a fantastic goal.
41 min: Another Arsenal corner, as Kadeisha Buchanan denies Beth Mead with a block-tackle. McCabe’s delivery into the six-yard box is headed clear.
39 min: Another chance for Arsenal goes to waste, as Millie Bright clears an Alessia Russo shot off the line.
37 min: The inswinger from McCabe is terrific and drops perfectly for Leah Williamson at the far post. With the goal gaping, she barely makes contact with the ball and skims it wide, possibly put off by her fellow defender Lotte Wubben-Moy, who was also shaping to try and prod it home. That was a glorious opportunity for Arsenal to pull a goal back
35 min: Emily Fox wins a corner for Arsenal, her attempted cross from the right put out of play by Millie Bright.
33 min: Leah Williamson is booked for a foul on Mayra Ramirez. She’s bang to rights but that doesn’t stop her arguing her case with Cheryl Foster, the match referee.
31 min: Chelsea embark on another sortie into the Arsenal half but on this occasion, Mayra Ramirez, who is terrorising the hosts with her marauding runs and clever passes, is dispossessed. Arsenal launch a counter-attack but it breaks down when Beth Mead’s pass to Russo goes awry.
29 min: Katie McCabe plays a kamikaze pass across the face of her own penalty area, putting Leah Williamson in all sorts of trouble under a heavy press from Guro Reiten. The Chelsea player’s cross back into the penalty area fails to pick out a teammate and Arsenal get away with the latest in an apparently neverending series of defensive blunders.
27 min: With Caitlin Foord back defending, Lauren James tries to cut inside but has to settle for a throw-in deep in Arsenal territory, down by the corner flag. Nothing comes of it.
26 min: Lauren James sends a free-kick towards the edge of the Arsenal box but the home side clear it.
24 min: The aforementioned corner came from a deflected Caitlin Foord shot that fizzed over the bar. Arsenal aren’t completely out of this game yet but really need to score the next goal.
22 min: Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton completely misjudges the trajectory of a Beth Mead corner and the ball sails over her head. Kadeisha Buchanan is alert and on hand to head the ball clear before anyone in a red shirt can steer it home.
21 min: Arsenal try to regroup and Caitlin Ford sends a low cross into the Chelsea penalty area towards Russo. She’s disposssed by Buchanana, who clears for Chelsea.
18 min: Arsenal’s defending – or lack thereof – was comically awful for that goal. Lauren James was given the freedom of the right wing to cut inside, skip past Emily Fox and ping a cross towards Baltimore, who was completely unmarked and had all the time in the world to stoop, pick her spot and head past Arsenal’s hopelessly exposed goalkeeper.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea (Baltimore 16)
Chelsea double their lead! This is a disaster for Arsenal! Completely unmarked at the far post, Sandy Baltimore stoops to head the ball past Van Domselaar, converting a cross from Lauren James.
16 min: The ball’s played wide to Chelsea left-back Sandy Baltimore near the halfway line but she’s unable to keep it in play.
13 min: Not yet, is the answer to that question. Millie Bright clears the inswinger with a meaty header.
12 min: Arsenal win a corner after decent work down the left from Katie McCabe and Caitlin Foord. Let’s see if they’re any better at taking corners than they are at defending them.
10 min: Millie Bright is very lucky to avoid a booking for fouling Alessio Russo as the Chelsea striker tried to break upfield on the counter-attack after Arsenal had defended a long throw deep inside their own half.
8 min: Moments before that opener, Arsenal went close when Beth Mead headed over the bar after capitalising on a slapstick mix-up between Chelsea central defenders Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan.
6 min: That was a stranghe goal. Chelsea had a corner, which was only half-cleared towards Ramirez, the ball bouncing in front of her as she stood with her back to goal. Without trying to turn, she simply hooked it over her own head and Arsenal’s defenders seemed parlaysed as the ball dropped over Van Domselaar and into the goal.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea (Ramirez 3)
Chelsea lead! With her back to goal, Mayra Ramirez scores with an opportunisitc scoop over her own head that catches Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne Van Domselaar slightly off her line and drops into the back of the net. What a goal!
1 min: Guro Reiten sprints between Arsenal central defenders Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy, running on to a ball from deep. She’s offside.
Arsenal v Chelsea is go …
1 min: Chelsea get the ball rolling at their second attempt, the first kick-off coming somewhat prematurely as a couple of over-zealous players forgot the referee’s first whistle was a signal for them to take a pre-match knee.
Not long now: Both sets of players march out on to the Emirates pitch and line up either side of referee Cheryl Foster and her team of match officials. The last of the pre-match formalities are underway and there are just a couple of minutes to go until kick-off.
Attendance watch: In a state of affairs that suggests the WSL is in fairly rude health, Arsenal have sold over 40,000 tickets for this match, which is also being broadcast live on BBC One television.
An email: “A curtain-raiser for the weekend’s WSL games, indeed; but also a potential curtain-closer on Arsenal’s leage prospects,” writes Charles Antaki.
“The fact that things have spectacularly not gone their way in their opening matches so far – a dismal failure to score against the leagues bottom club, and a sound rubbing by Bayern Munich – is a source of some anguish to Arsenal fans.
“It’s worse because there’s no one obvious cause: you can’t blame it all on the loss of Vivianne Miedema. Increasingly it’s the manager who’s edging into the crosshairs. Good luck with this one, Jonas.”
Girls on Film: Viewing figures for Women’s Super League games streamed online have more than trebled this season following the switch to YouTube as the division’s streaming platform. Tom Garry reports …
Arsenal: A heavy defeat to Bayern Munich has done little to quell growing discontent at the club ahead of today’s visit of the WSL champions, writes Suzanne Wrack.
Those teams: Sonia Bompastor makes two changes to the side that beat Real Madrid in midweek. Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton comes in for Zecira Muskovic, who drops to the bench. Centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan replaces Nathalie Bjorn, who is also among the subs.
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall makes four changes to the side that started against Bayern Munich. Daphne Van Donselaar, Alessia Russo, Lotte Wubben-Moye and Beth Mead come into the side, with Manuela Zinsberger, Laia Codina, Frida Maanum and Stina Blackstenius missing out.
Jordan Nobbs interview: Now 31 years old, Aston Villa’s “little Modric in midfield” broke the WSL appearance record last weekend and talks to Tom Garry about her plans to share the experiences of her journey with the next generation.
Sam Kerr: The Matildas captain and Chelsea striker is still on the road to recovery from a torn ACL but interim Australia coach Tom Sermanni has invited her to join the team camp for a morale-boosting reunion ahead of friendlies against Switzerland and Germany later this month. Words: Martin Pegan …
Arsenal v Chelsea line-ups
Arsenal: Van Domselaar; Fox, Wubben-Moy, Williamson, McCabe; Little, Walti, Russo; Mead, Caldentey, Foord
Subs: Zinsberger, Codina, Catley, Reid, Maanum, Kafaji, Kuhl, Cooney-Cross, Blackstenius
Chelsea: Hampton, Bronze, Bright, Buchanan, Baltimore, Kaptein, Nusken, Kaneryd, Reiten, James, Ramirez.
Subs: Musovic, Cuthbert, Lawrence, Beever-Jones, Perisset, Hamano, Jean-Francois, Macario, Bjorn.
Faye Carruthers is in the hotseat as Suzanne Wrack, Tom Garry and Sophie Downey discuss the latest goings-on in the women’s game. Listen to our podcast here and if you’re not already a subscriber, you can sign up for free on all the usual platforms.
Early Chelsea team news
Sophie Ingle, Aniek Nouwen, Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel are all out with ACL injuries, while Niamh Charles continues her recovery from a surgery on a shoulder injury.
Goalkeeper Hannah Hampson and American international Catarina Macario could return after missing the midweek win over Real Madrid through illness, while midfielder Erin Cuthbert also sat that game out with a knock but could return this afternoon.
Early Arsenal team news
Arsenal’s Swedish defender Amanda Ilestedt is unavailable for selection as she is expecting her first child, while her compatriot Lina Hurtig also remains out.
The team’s Austrian right-back Laura Wienroither is also sidelined with an injury she picked up in her team’s 1-0 win over Leicester, while Arsenal’s Dutch defender Victoria Pelova is out for the foreseeable future after rupturing her ACL while on international duty during the summer.
In better news for the Gunners, skipper Leah Williamson is expected to make her first league start of the season after playing the full 90 minutes against Bayern Munich in midweek.
WSL: Arsenal v Chelsea
Arsenal welcome Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium for this weekend’s WSL curtain-raiser, with the visitors hoping to maintain their 100% start to the season.
They sit second in the table with two wins from two and beat Real Madrid in the Champions League in midweek, albeit courtesy of a performance that drew criticism from their French manager, Sonia Bompastor.
Arsenal’s start to the season has been comparatively underwhelming, with a scoreless league draw against Everton coming ahead of a 5-2 European pummelling at the hands of Bayern Munich at the FC Bayern Campus. Kick-off in North London is at 1.45pm (BST) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
