A blistering attacking display helped Arsenal topple Chelsea in a thrilling Continental Tyres League Cup Final in front of a record crowd of just over 19,000 at Selhurst Park.
Arsenal went into Sunday's clash bidding to win their first trophy in almost four years; the Gunners having failed to come out on top in any of their last five meetings with Emma Hayes' side. Chelsea, meanwhile, took to the field hoping to keep their Quadruple hopes alive and searching for their third Conti Cup title in just four seasons.
Jonas Eidevall made one change from the side that was beaten 2-0 by Chelsea in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup, with Noelle Maritz coming in for Laura Wienroither, while Hayes stuck with the same starting XI that triumphed at Kingsmeadow.
READ MORE: Rehanne Skinner makes Tottenham 'belief' admission and issues Beth England update
And it was a perfect start for the Blues in south London; Sam Kerr rising to meet a sumptuous Guro Reiten delivery and nodding home to put Chelsea in front inside two minutes.
But it was an admirable response from Arsenal, who reaped the rewards of their speedy resurgence when Frida Maanum's shot deflected into the path of Stina Blackstenius - the Swedish international sweeping the ball past Ann-Katrin Berger to restore parity after 16 minutes.
The Gunners didn't have to wait long to get their noses in front, with captain Kim Little coolly converting her penalty after Katie McCabe went down in the box under a clumsy challenge from Sophie Ingle. It was almost 3-1 when Blackstenius connected with Catley's sliced cross into the six-yard box, but her near-post header was well saved by Berger.
Kerr had a chance to level things up with what was almost a carbon copy of her opener, but this time she diverted Reiten's cross just wide of Zinsberger's goal.
In an attempt to regain a grasp on the game, Emma Hayes introduced centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan after just 40 minutes, but her tactical tweak failed to produce the desired result, with Rafaelle's header - deflected into the Chelsea net by Niamh Charles - on the stroke of half time leaving the Blues with a mountain to climb in the second half.
Things almost went from bad to worse for Chelsea minutes after the interval when Berger's misguided clearance rebounded off Blackstenius inside the box; the German 'keeper fortunate to see the ball cannon back into her path.
As Chelsea pushed to reduce the deficit, Lauren James blasted a speculative effort over the bar, but there were few clear-cut chances for Blues in the second half.
Substitute Melanie Leupolz went close with a tidy effort on the half-volley late on but her strike was well-saved by Zinsberger to ensure the scoreline remained at 3-1.
The victory marks the first piece of silverware of Jonas Eidevall's tenure - and of the season - with Arsenal's sixth ever Conti Cup victory extending their record as the most successful club in the competition's history.
READ NEXT:
Beth Mead delivers promising England injury update for Women's World Cup with added inspiration
Arsenal complete raid for former Leicester City coach Lydia Bedford
England player ratings as Lionesses retain Arnold Clark Cup as Chloe Kelly shines
Arsenal player ratings vs Chelsea as Gunners disappoint and crash out of FA Cup fifth round
Arsenal's Caitlin Foord expected to pick up the slack from from Mead and Miedema loss
