Chelsea Women face one of the toughest matches of a surreal season this weekend as they travel to Arsenal for an FA Cup semi... just hours before the men take on Palace in their equivalent at Wembley.
For gaffer Emma Hayes, reigning Women’s Super League Manager of the Month, it’s a crunch fixture against the Blues’ deadliest rivals after seeing her side score 17 goals in five matches to top the table for the first time this campaign.
It was a month which culminated in a 9-0 away victory over Leicester... with the Blues, in the process, becoming the first team in WSL history to score four goals in the opening 10 minutes of a game.
Hayes will be closely monitoring her players’ fitness as they return from international duties, but Gunners’ boss Jonas Eidevall knows that his goal machine, Viv Miedema, is in fine form after netting six goals during the Netherlands’ 12-0 demolition of Cyprus.
Underlining Arsenal’s threat was Beth Mead’s four goals in England’s overwhelming 10-0 destruction of North Macedonia, a match which saw Jess Carter and Millie Bright help the national side keep a clean sheet.
Arsenal, with home advantage, will start the cup clash marginal favourites, but it promises to be a tight contest and Chelsea’s travelling faithful will be giving the team their full backing at the Borehamwood FC stadium.
Emma Hayes’ team will be back at Kingsmeadow on Thursday 28 April, when Tottenham Hotspur visit in the WSL. Sanctions have eased for the women’s matches, and tickets are again on open sale. Buy tickets to see the game against Spurs.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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