Chelsea sink Arsenal to set up Women’s FA Cup final with Manchester City | Women’s FA Cup

Second-half goals from Guro Reiten and Ji So-yun ensured Chelsea eased into the FA Cup final with a patient defeat of toothless Arsenal. In front of a sold-out Borehamwood crowd the Gunners struggled to deliver a single shot on target, with Chelsea’s defensive solidity allowing them to absorb the early pressure and that they would build on in the second half.

There has been very little to separate the two London teams this season. Perhaps, Chelsea, as holders of the FA Cup and the league leaders, had the edge over their title rivals going into this match. The Blues dominated from the off in a 3-0 defeat of the Gunners in the 2021 final in December. However, despite Arsenal’s league position, one point behind Chelsea, Jonas Eidevall’s team have taken four points from their two league meetings – the first three coming from a thrilling 3-2 victory at the Emirates stadium on the opening day of the season and the spoils were shared following a 0-0 draw at Kingsmeadow in February.

In north London it was like time had stood still for more than two months, with the game kicking off with the same intensity and it was Arsenal, who spent much of the second half of that stalemate in February camped in Chelsea’s half, that began the brighterside. Within three minutes Beth Mead, fresh off the back of an international break in which she scored four against North Macedonia, collected a ball over the top and wrongfooted Jess Carter. But the England defender recovered to get a touch on to her pass and deflected it to the feet of defensive partner, Millie Bright, who cleared successfully.

Just over 10 minutes later and Stina Blackstenius had similar success on the right, getting past the Dutch defender Aniek Nouwen and to the byline before pausing a little too long while weighing up whether to shoot or cut back allowing Chelsea to crowd the ball from her feet. . For the visiting side, there was a disconnect with forward Sam Kerr, who struggled up against the new England captain, Leah Williamson.

At Wembley in December Eidevall was without influential centre-back Williamson but just 10 miles north of the national stadium, at Borehamwood, it was Chelsea who were weakened by the absence of important players. Their captain and centre-back, Magda Eriksson, was deemed only fit enough for the bench, forcing Emma Hayes to begin with a back three of Nouwen, Bright and Carter. Meanwhile, England international Fran Kirby, whose third-minute goal and potent partnership with Kerr lit up the final, was ruled out for the foreseeable future by Hayes prior to Sunday’s game as the hunt for answers to Kirby’s fatigue problem continue.

Despite the fluidity to their play Arsenal struggled to make it count. The fierce strike from the edge of the box from Vivianne Miedema that sailed narrowly over the bar highlighted their profligacy and the Gunners finished a dominant half on the back foot. First, Miedema gifted the ball to the Chelsea forward Erin Cuthbert before recovering the ball with a stunning sliding tackle. Then, Williamson was at fault, delivering the ball straight to England before dispossessing her international teammate shortly after as Chelsea upped the ante.

At half-time the home side were without a shot on target, to Chelsea’s two, and the team’s lack of cutting edge in front of goal would prove to be their undoing. Within minutes of Mead swiveling in the box and firing wide, Reiten floated towards the edge of the D and lifted a curling shot across the goal and into the far corner.

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Chelsea had a second just after the hour mark and, despite a defensive mess, Arsenal had caused to feel aggrieved after the full-back Steph Catley recovered possession for the home team but was penalized for handball despite it deflecting off her face.

Bright lofted the resulting free-kick from deep within the Chelsea half to Kerr, the Arsenal defender Lotte Wubben-Moy was able to prod the ball away but her clearance fell to Ji who stepped past Lia Wälti and fired in to set up a final against Manchester City, who beat the Blues 3-1 in the Continental League Cup final on 5 March.