Thanks for reading this MBM. Suzanne Wrack is at Ashton Gate this afternoon and has filed her report:
Chelsea’s celebrations will be short. Their quest to chase down Manchester City in the WSL resumes on Wednesday with the visit of Brighton. Can they repeat their domestic treble? Or even go one better – Arsenal await in Europe.
Erin Cuthbert and Millie Bright lift the League Cup for Chelsea! Champagne and pyrotechnics send their teammates scampering off but they return as the golden ticker tape rains down.
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After Sonia Bompastor leads some Chelsea celebrations in a team huddle, she heads up to collect her winner’s medal with her children. It is Mother’s Day in the UK, after all.
The players follow her up. It’s party time.
Maya Le Tissier leads her Manchester United teammates up to collect their runners-up medals. This was their best chance of winning a trophy this season – they’ll turn their attention back to the WSL with a trip to West Ham on Wednesday. A Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich awaits too.
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“Hopefully we can grab more trophies,” says Sonia Bompastor. “We want to give our all. I think we have a lot of quality and I hope we can perform at our best level in the coming months. We want to go as far as we can in each competition … Trophies never get old.”
Chelsea were without a number of key players this afternoon – Millie Bright, Naomi Girma are injured; Sam Kerr, Ellie Carpenter are at the Asian Cup. “At the business end of the season, it’s crucial to have your big players,” says Bompastor.
One who stepped in was Veerle Buurman and Bompastor singles her out for praise: “Veerle is doing extraordinarily well. She’s really performing at the highest level. She’s young but she has a lot of talent.”
“Amazing afternoon,” says Lauren James. “It’s so nice to get a trophy to start off the rest of the season.
“It’s in our DNA, we just find a way to win, whether we play well or not.
“We need to use it as momentum and use this game as another step forward and try to achieve our dreams.”
She’s handed the player of the match award and is asked where it will go at home. “Along with all the others,” is the smiley response.
“We were pretty dominant over the course of the game,” Chelsea captain Erin Cuthbert tells the BBC. “It’s got to give us momentum, got to give us belief. We’re a good team, we can beat anybody on our day.”
Meanwhile Millie Bright, out injured today, singles out Veerle Buurman for a special ovation in front of the Chelsea fans. The stand-in centre-back was excellent today.
Chelsea win the League Cup!
Full-time: Chelsea 2-0 Manchester United
Goals from Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones secure Sonia Bompastor’s side the first trophy of the domestic season. They defend their title.
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90+8 min: Schüller gets in behind for United but toepokes a shot that would have gone out for a throw had Lundkvist not picked it up on the touchline. Too little, too late.
90+6 min: United win another corner through Awujo. Tullis-Joyce comes up again but Le Tissier heads wide.
90+5 min: Terland clips a ball over the top for Schüller to chase. United recycle the ball and Malard’s shot is blocked by Hampton. The ball flies up into the air and comes down on the goal-line – Bronze puts her head where it hurts (against the post) to clear it off Malard for a goal-kick. The offside flag was up anyway and Bronze might just have a bruise.
90+3 min: Bronze gets a foot in just in time to stop Terland connecting with Schüller’s cross. Superb defending.
90+2 min: That substantial amount of added time has given United a lift. Awujo has a shot blocked on the edge of the box.
Bompastor looks to stifle their momentum with a change. Lexi Potter comes on for James, who’s applauded off.
90 min: Baltimore punts the corner clear and Tullis-Joyce scampers back to retrive. Bronze heads away for Chelsea.
Eight minutes added!
89 min: Desperate stuff from Janssen as she shanks a clearance as the last defender back. James tries to gather but Janssen hooks it clear at the second attempt.
United win a corner and Tullis-Joyce is coming up …
87 min: Simi Awujo replaces Zigiotti for United. Chelsea are preparing a change too.
85 min: James tries to finish things off after she wins the ball back in the final third and powers a shot to the near post. Tullis-Joyce pushes it past for a corner – her palms will sting for a few minutes.
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84 min: Chelsea are content just to see this out. Still time for United to make them sweat but that’s not looked likely this half.
82 min: Tullis-Joyce is, of course, fine to continue.
81 min: United's keeper Tullis-Joyce is down on the edge of her own box. Skinner gathers his players on the touchline for a tactical briefing. Classic.
79 min: It’s pretty poor defending from United. Marc Skinner will wonder how Beever-Jones had time to take that cross down and get her shot off. Lundkvist seemed far more concerned with holding the Chelsea striker round the waist than actually contesting for the ball.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Man Utd (Beever-Jones 77)
Chelsea are on their way to the League Cup! Rytting Kaneryd floats a cross to the back post, where Beever-Jones is able to chest it down and prod the ball into the corner beyond Tullis-Joyce.
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75 min: Chelsea know what they’re doing as they take time restarting the game. They’re in control of this.
73 min: United aren’t really creating anything. Park has a chance to find Schüller on the edge of the box but they get their wires crossed and Hampton strolls out to pick up the loose ball.
James cuts on to her left foot and curls a shot at goal that Tullis-Joyce pats down.
71 min: James floats a delightful inswinging cross into the box. Le Tissier gets up to meet it and Tullis-Joyce springs up to catch it.
Cuthbert gives Zigiotti a kick on the back of the calf in midfield but escapes a card.
69 min: Kaptein’s first involvement is to cop one in the face off Le Tissier. The United captain’s clearance made it just a couple of yards before it smacked into Kaptein. She’s OK.
67 min: Björn is in tears as she hobbles off, supported by the Chelsea medical staff. That’s rough. Wieke Kaptein is on in her place.
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65 min: Oh, Nathalie Björn. Her return from injury has lasted just a couple of minutes. Something goes twang as she makes a pass in her own half. She’s distraught.
63 min: Nathalie Björn replaces Buchanen for Chelsea to make her return from injury after four months out. She’ll slot in a centre-back.
62 min: A bit of a reshuffle for United with Lundkvist switching to right-back and Rolfö coming in on the left. Schüller is leading the line.
James has to scamper to catch Bronze’s pass on a Chelsea break, only for United to crowd her out. Park tries to link up with Terland but the latter’s return ball goes out of play.
60 min: United struggle to clear a Baltimore corner and Beever-Jones has a shot blocked. James swings the ball back in and Buchanen heads it wide at the near post.
Riviere and Wangerheim make way for Rolfö and Schüller for United.
58 min: Walsh leaves Zigiotti on the deck in midfield and slides a pass in behind for Beever-Jones. The England striker had hoped for an earlier ball and is flagged offside.
Marc Skinner is about to dip into his United bench.
56 min: The attendance at Ashton Gate is announced as 21,619 – a record for a Women’s League Cup final.
James goes into the book for Chelsea after taking down Zigiotti from behind. Perhaps a bit harsh.
55 min: Rytting Kaneryd fronts up Lundkvist but again her cross is poor and it flies out for a goal-kick.
53 min: A good old-fashioned hoof from Bronze gets Chelsea up the park. James collects and sets off towards goal but Janssen shepherds her out of play.
51 min: Bronze finds Rytting Kaneryd down the Chelsea right. The winger’s cross is poor and drifts harmlessly into Tullis-Joyce’s hands. Beever-Jones was probably offside in the middle anyway.
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49 min: Good save from Hampton. Buchanen gives away the ball with a square pass and Naalsund’s shot has plenty of power behind it but is batted away by Hampton.
Before that Malard had connected with a bicycle kick but not quite enough to direct it goalwards.
47 min: Riviere looks for Wangerheim down the line and Buurman chests the ball to safety. The Chelsea defender made a couple of crucial interceptions in the first half.
Restart
The second half is under way. Aggie Beever-Jones has replaced Alyssa Thompson up front for Chelsea. The rain has eased.
Half-time reading: Our roundup of today’s results in the WSL.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City Women | 17 | 34 | 43 |
| 2 | Man Utd Women | 16 | 19 | 34 |
| 3 | Chelsea Women | 16 | 16 | 33 |
| 4 | Arsenal Women | 15 | 18 | 32 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur Women | 17 | 1 | 29 |
| 6 | Everton Women | 17 | -7 | 20 |
| 7 | London City Lionesses | 17 | -11 | 19 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion Women | 15 | -1 | 17 |
| 9 | Aston Villa Women | 17 | -14 | 17 |
| 10 | Liverpool FC Women | 17 | -10 | 13 |
| 11 | West Ham Women | 16 | -20 | 11 |
| 12 | Leicester Women | 16 | -25 | 9 |
Chelsea haven’t had it all their own way. United have looked threatening in spells with Melvine Malard and Elisabeth Terland especially dangerous.
Half-time: Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd
Lauren James’s goal separates the two sides at the break. She profited from Dominique Janssen’s slack play on the edge of her own box and fired past Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
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45+1 min: Chance for United at the end of the half. Malard twists past Baltimore and Wangerheim can’t divert her cross in at the near post.
45 min: One minute added on.
44 min: The skies have darkened even more, the rain is heavier, the wind sending it sideways. I think everyone would be glad for half-time. Not Malard, though, who leads a United attack that ends in a bitty spell of play the ends in a Chelsea throw.
42 min: Vital defending from Le Tissier! Nusken plays a wonderfully weighted ball in behind for Thompson to chase. The American bears down on goal one-on-one, shapes to shoot and a retreating Le Tissier slides in just in time to stop her. A captain’s challenge.
40 min: Le Tissier finds Terland in the centre circle. The Norwegian turns into space and United enjoy some possession in the Chelsea half. Not many gaps are appearing though.
38 min: Cuthbert comes away with the ball after Chelsea clear another Riviere long throw. Rytting Kaneryd feeds a ball into the United area, it falls to Cuthbert but she skews her shot wide. It looked like it was heading in the top corner for a second.
Man Utd hit the bar!
36 min: Terland shrugs off Rytting Kaneryd and drives into the Chelsea area. Her shot has plenty of power and strikes the crossbar on the near side of the goal. Hampton might have got a touch on it but a goal-kick is given. Some effort.
34 min: Riviere lines up a long throw that causes mild panic in the Chelsea box. Malard juggles the ball and loses control before she can hook it into the middle, the ball bobbling out for a goal-kick.
Up the other end, Cuthbert turns into space but can’t keep her shot down from 25 yards out.
32 min: Just wide from Terland! After a couple of scuffed early efforts, Terland connects with a shot from the edge of the box. Hampton scrambles over to her right and is glad to see it whistle past the post. She’s been United’s biggest threat so far.
30 min: Baltimore and James find the going tough as they try to break United’s resistance down the left wing. Riviere and Park team up to keep them at bay. It’s an intriguing battle.
28 min: Bronze has to get on her bike to chase after Wangerheim. The ball comes back to Park, whose strike from distance is straight at Hampton, who gathers at the second attempt.
Riviere is having a decent game for United. She nips past Thompson with a neat Cruyff turn and wins a free-kick inside her own half.
26 min: James and Baltimore combine down the Chelsea left. Riviere slides in to prevent the Frenchwoman from cutting inside and then forces her to retreat from the area altogether.
24 min: Marc Skinner and his coaching staff consult their dugout iPads, sheltered against the rain in plastic sheeting, after that gift of a goal. Hugely disappointing for United.
22 min: If you’re going to make a mistake on the edge of your own box, Lauren James is the last person you want to see pick up the ball. No mercy from her.
United respond well as Malard sends an inviting cross across goal that’s just too high for any of her teammates.
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GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd (James 19)
James punishes Janssen! It’s poor from the United centre-back, who receives a throw-in on the edge of her own box and scuffs a pass into James’s path. The shot, when it comes, is devastating and beats Tullis-Joyce at her near post.
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18 min: Terland looks bemused after she is penalised for bringing down Cuthbert some 30 yards from the Chelsea goal when it looked like the other way around.
16 min: A string of throw-ins keep the assistant referees busy on both touchlines.
14 min: United are finding a bit of space in the final third. Wangerheim scuffs a ball into the box that is cut out before it can reach a completely unmarked Malard.
James shows her quality up the other end with a fizzing cross that no one in blue can divert towards goal. Chelsea’s No 10 then pings a shot across goal that flies just over the bar.
12 min: Terland should do better. A darting run from Wangerheim sends Chelsea into a flap on the edge of their own box and the ball springs loose to the Norwegian. Her first touch isn’t great and she has to dig a shot out – it drifts well wide.
10 min: James threatens for Chelsea, winning a corner after her shot is blocked by Zigiotti. The rain is coming down steadily – those in the front rows of the healthy crowd at Ashton Gate have their hoods up. So does Sonia Bompastor.
8 min: Excellent defending from Buchanen. Malard tries to thread a ball in behind the Chelsea defence but Buchanen matches Terland for pace and wins a free-kick.
6 min: Chelsea knock the ball about for a bit and a sliding Lundkvist steps in to prevent Bronze from making inroads down the right.
4 min: It’s an end to end start. Rytting Kaneryd feeds James out wide and her cross takes a deflection out for a corner. Cuthbert’s delivery bounces right through a crowded penalty area.
3 min: Hampton is the first goalkeeper called into action! Terland is allowed to carry the ball deep into the Chelsea half and goes low from distance, with Hampton turning the shot round the post. Chelsea deal with the corner.
2 min: Chelsea start on the front foot as Cuthbert plays in James in the area. James wins a corner but Baltimore takes it short and United stop anything coming into the box.
Kick-off
It’s Chelsea who get us under way. With Champions League teams not involved in the League Cup from next season onwards, this could be their last chance to lift this trophy for a while.
A minute’s silence is held for the Oxford Utd academy player Amelia Aplin and the former Chelsea goalkeeper Amy Carr. Aplin, just 15, died during an academy match last week. Carr, 34, died after losing her battle with cancer.
Sonia Bompastor and Marc Skinner lead their teams out into a rather grey afternoon in Bristol. Kick-off is upon us.
Chelsea begin life without Guro Reiten today after she sealed a move to Gotham FC in the States. She leaves with winners’ medals for six WSL titles, four FA Cups and three League Cups in six years.
Her farewell video on Chelsea’s social channels was emotional, to say the least:
Everything has an end and this is my end here at Chelsea. I still remember Emma [Hayes] called me six and a half years ago, convinced me to join the club and I was terrified. Scared that I wasn’t good enough, scared to move away from my family.
Little did I know I was going to get a new family here because it has been all about the people and the ones that have been with me on this journey.
Road to the final: Here’s how Chelsea and Man Utd have made it to Ashton Gate. Both teams received a bye into the knockout stage because of their involvement in European football.
Yes, that is 9 (nine) for the defending champions in the last eight …
Chelsea
Quarter-final – Liverpool 1-9 Chelsea
Semi-final – Man City 0-1 Chelsea
Man Utd
Quarter-final – Man Utd 2-1 Tottenham
Semi-final – Arsenal 0-1 Man Utd
Today’s full-time scores in the WSL:
Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester City
Liverpool 2-0 Leicester (Olsson 10, Holland 89pen)
London City 0-2 Arsenal (Smith 15, Blackstenius 76)
Tottenham 1-2 Everton (Gaupset 76; Momiki 12, Gago 83)
Chelsea and Manchester United will be glad to see leaders Manchester City drop points …
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This week’s editions are here:
Sonia Bompastor is under pressure at Chelsea, who look like going without a WSL title for the first time since 2019. The manager knows the expectation today, as in any competition they enter, is that Chelsea come home with the trophy:
I will always expect to have a lot of noise around Chelsea. There will be noise when you are losing, or when something happens, because I think this club is the best in England.
That’s why this happens and I’m totally fine with it. It’s important also when you are in high moments you don’t go too high and in more low moments you don’t go too low.
We just want to win because that’s part of our DNA. I don’t want to win because people are talking or making noise. That’s not what drives us.
Interview: Fridolina Rolfö starts this one on the bench for Manchester United. The serial winner with Barcelona has been speaking to Suzanne Wrack this week about the prospect of a first piece of silverware in England:
This is what we all strive for. The club wants this. We all want to win it and we strive to get there and now we’re there. We’ve been performing really well and we had a great game against Arsenal [in the semi-final], so we deserve to be in this final.
Starting lineups
Chelsea (4-3-3): Hampton; Bronze, Buchanen, Buurman, Baltimore; Walsh, Cuthbert, Nusken; James, Rytting Kaneryd, Thompson.
Subs: Peng, Bjorn, Sarwie, Spencer, Kaptein, Potter, Beever-Jones.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Tullis-Joyce; Lundkvist, Le Tissier, Riviere, Janssen; Zigiotti Olme, Naalsund; Park, Terland, Malard; Wangerheim.
Subs: Middleton-Patel, Rendell, George, Turner, Anderson, Awujo, Rolfo, Drury, Schuller.
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Preamble
This time last year, there was talk that Chelsea had ticked off the first trophy of a possible quadruple after they beat Manchester City in the Women’s League Cup final in Derby. Today, in Bristol, the feeling is quite different for the team that went on to win a domestic treble – not too shabby.
Chelsea’s defence of their WSL title is in tatters with Manchester City nine points clear of them – today’s opponents, Manchester United, are above them in the table. The FA Cup is still on (a quarter-final against Tottenham awaits) and a first Champions League is also possible (Arsenal stand in their way in that one). Beating United at Ashton Gate this afternoon would set them up nicely for the rest of the season.
As for United, they are still dreaming of catching City in the league (the gap is eight points) and have never won the League Cup – this is their first final. Marc Skinner’s side will also be keen to avenge their elimination at the hands of Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup last month.
We will have extra time and penalties if necessary as the first trophy of the English season is handed out. Get in touch via email or simply follow along.
Kick-off is 2.15pm (GMT) – team news is coming shortly.
