A blog of two halves

Chelsea Women passed their first tough test after the league winter break with flying colours, beating Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Chelsea have home advantage against Crystal Palace in the draw for the 5th Round of the Women’s FA Cup after coming from behind to defeat West Ham at the weekend.

After the first legs of the League Cup semis, an all-west London final at Wembley is still within Fulham and Chelsea’s grasp.

Chelsea have a double dose of cup football looming, with 6,000 Preston North End fans descending on SW6 at 5.30pm on Saturday 6 January for a third-round FA Cup clash.

A Madueke penalty gave Chelsea a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at the Bridge, wiping out the Christmas Eve disappointment of defeat at Wolves, and boosting confidence ahead of Saturday’s journey to Luton Town.

Chelsea Women start their four-week domestic winter break three points clear at the top of the table, while the men steadied the wobbly ship with a 2-0 win at the Bridge.

Emma Hayes: "That’s as bad as I have seen us for a long time."

Arsenal take on Chelsea Women at the Emirates on Sunday lunchtime in front of a crowd expected to top 40,000.

Chelsea Women beat an obstinate Leicester City team 5-2 at Kingsmeadow, with manager Emma Hayes enjoying life as she ticks off the 25 calendar weeks until she leaves.

Fans of Chelsea and QPR have been paying tribute to Terry Venables, the affable midfielder who went on to manage England.