Chelsea Women vs Arsenal Women. Women's League Cup Final.
The City Ground.
Tuesday 3 March 2020 14:01, UK
Beth England proved to be the winner for Chelsea Women as she scored twice in the 2-1 win over Arsenal Women in the Continental League Cup final.
The England international scored the opener in the eighth minute at Nottingham Forest's City Ground, in front of a record crowd for the final of 6,743.
But Arsenal, who were looking to win the competition for the sixth time in the nine years it had been contested, looked to have taken the game into extra-time when Leah Williamson equalised with five minutes remaining.
England had other ideas, however, as she pounced in stoppage-time to secure the first silverware of the women's domestic season, with Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger pulling off a string of crucial saves during the game.
It was heartbreak for Arsenal who had dominated the game, only to suffer a second successive defeat in this competition.
After losing to Chelsea twice in the league this season, including a humbling 4-1 home defeat in January, the writing appeared to be on the wall for the Gunners when England grabbed an early opener.
Guro Reiten's cross was met at the far post by a header back into the area by Maren Mjelde, with England turning onto a loose ball to fire home from eight yards as the Gunners failed to clear.
Despite Arsenal being without a number of key players through injury - to such an extent manager Joe Montemurro could only name five substitutes rather than the regulation seven - it was the Gunners who then dominated proceedings.
The Blues were indebted to Berger, though, as she first palmed away a close-range Louise Quinn header, then saved with her right foot a low shot from Arsenal captain Jordan Nobbs, before tipping over an angled effort from Vivianne Miedema.
With Arsenal dominating the midfield, Caitlin Foord then teed up Jill Roord in the 25th minute for a shot from the edge of the area that flashed a yard wide.
Chelsea rode out the storm, though, and should have doubled their advantage on the half-hour mark, with Reiten again the supplier from the left, picking out an unmarked England whose free header was inches past Manuela Zinsberger's right-hand post.
After Zinsberger had saved with her feet a snap shot from Sam Kerr six minutes from the break, Arsenal quickly countered, with Miedema feeding Foord for an 18-yard drive that rifled into the side-netting.
Aside from a Reiten drive that was just a yard over the bar in the 50th minute, Arsenal again controlled the game in the second half, with Miedema shaving Berger's left-hand post with a low, powerful shot from just outside the area.
That was swiftly followed by Lisa Evans playing in Nobbs for a first-time effort that was a yard wide before Miedema angled a header back across Berger shortly after that was again narrowly the wrong side of the target for the Gunners.
With Arsenal throwing everything at Chelsea in a bid to equalise, Berger again produced another stunning save to deny Miedema from close range.
But the pressure finally told five minutes from time, with Arsenal academy product Williamson scrambling home from close range.
It was Chelsea and England, however, who settled the game in the second minute of five added on, as she tapped home from a yard out following a low ball through the six-yard box from Erin Cuthbert.
