Key events
8 min “There are a lot of options, Paramount being a streaming service rather than a TV channel, as such,” says Joe Pearson. “But I could watch Sassuolo vs Lazio live right now. They will be carrying the United vs Liverpool game later today.”
That’s really odd. Wonder what the logic is.
6 min A thrilling effort from Lauren James. She robs Rafaelle in her own half, swerves elegantly past Catley and makes for the penalty area. Once there she cuts inside Little, onto her left foot, and drives not far wide from 15 yards.
5 min Cuthbert plays a dreadful square ball just outside the Chelsea area, but she gets away with it when Blackstenius’s chipped cross is claimed by Musovic.
3 min Apparently thousands of fans are still stuck outside the Emirates, which is less than ideal.
Chaotic queues outside the Emirates, a lot of fans will miss kick-off. Everything (bar queues/tickets turnstiles) at women’s matches here always seems to take a lot longer pic.twitter.com/fnfQfTy6jX
— Nancy Gillen (@Nancy_Gillen) January 15, 2023
2 min Frida Maanum – who is playing much higher up the field than we expected – hits a speculative cross that is held by Musovic.
1 min Peep peep! After the players take a knee, Chelsea, kicking from left to right as we watch, get the game underway.
“In theory, Paramount+ has the US broadcast rights to the WSL,” says Joe Pearson, “but they apparently don’t think this top of the table clash is worth their notice. Ugh. Help me, Robi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”
How odd. What are they showing instead?
The players are in the tunnel and ready for action. Most of them look very relaxed, though the captains Kim Little and Magda Eriksson hav their gamefaces on.
Emma Hayes says Fran Kirby took a knock during Chelsea’s training camp, which is why she’s only on the bench.
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall and Chelsea boss Emma Hayes give their pre-match thoughts ahead of today’s top-of-the-table WSL clash…💭👇 pic.twitter.com/81zHaJJ9Za
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) January 15, 2023
The teams in (possible) formation
Arsenal (4-3-3) Zinsberger; Wienroither, Williamson, Rafaelle, Catley; Little, Walti, Maanum; Hurtig, Blackstenius, Foord.
Substitutes: D’Angelo, Wubben-Moy, Beattie, Kuhl, McCabe, Maritz, Pelova, Iwabuchi, Queiroz.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Musovic; Charles, Buchanan, Bright, Eriksson; Cuthbert, Ingle; James, Fleming, Reiten; Kerr.
Substitutes: Berger, Carter, Svitkova, Kirby, Perisset, Mjelde, Kaneryd, Abdullina, Cankovic.
Pre-match reading
Team news
Some interesting decisions from both managers. Jonas Eidevall has left out Katie McCabe, with Luna Hurtig preferred in attack. McCabe joins Gio Queiroz, who has been recalled from her loan at Everton, and the new signings Kathrine Kuhl and Victoria Pelova on the bench. Leah Williamson and Kim Little return to the side as expected.
Emma Hayes prefers Zecira Musovic in goal to Ann-Katrin Berger, and Fran Kirby is also among the substitutes. So is Jelena Cankovic, who scored twice when Chelsea beat Reading 3-2 in their last WSL game before the break.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Arsenal v Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. These teams have been inseparable in the last couple of years, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they like each other. Right here, right now, this is the biggest rivalry in English football. Chelsea pipped Arsenal to the title by a point last year; this season Chelsea are three points clear having played a match more.
It’s the first of two meetings that may decide who wins the title, especially as the return game is the penultimate match of the season. Arsenal are without Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead, who are both out for the season with cruciate-ligament injuries, but Leah Williamson and Kim Little should start their first WSL games since the autumn and the exciting signings Kathrine Kuhl and Victoria Pelova may be involved from the bench.
Chelsea have fewer injury concerns, though Pernille Harder is still missing with a hamstring injury, and they looked in ominously good shape before the winter break. Since that surprising defeat to Liverpool on the opening weekend, their record in all competitions is P15 W14 D1 L0 F49 A7. But Arsenal’s form in the same period is almost as good, and in their last game – without Mead, without Miedema – they put nine past an admittedly wretched FC Zurich in the Champions League.
Today’s match is likely to break the record for the highest crowd at a WSL match, and I don’t know what else to tell you. Put simply, this is a Brobdingnagian game.
Kick off 12pm.