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Key occasions
54 minutes: Hampton is in motion once more, this time with a extra simple process catching Clinton’s long-range shot.
52 minutes: One other save! George hits a left-wing, right-foot dipping, in-swinging cross that lands on the foot of Bizet Idhusoy, simply past the far put up. Hampton can’t havce been anticipating her to get there first and does properly to react to the volley and push it away.
51 minutes: A United nook skims throughout the sting of the six-yard field and by some means again out the opposite aspect with out anyone getting a contact on it.
50 minutes: United have fully dominated the primary jiffy of the second half, hassling Chelsea’s defenders after they have possession and forcing them to hit rushed and imprecise balls ahead which they constantly snaffle.
48 minutes: Malard will get booked for making an attempt to hook a excessive, bouncing ball again into play however as an alternative booting Charles within the face.
47 minutes: Probability for United! Riviere wins the ball brilliantly deep into Chelsea territory, Clinton slides it via to Malard, and actually she ought to give Hampton no probability. She does give Hampton an opportunity, although, with a shoulder-high shot too near the keeper, and she or he saves it.
46 minutes: Peeeeep! The house aspect get the ball re-rolling.
Proper then. The gamers are again out. No signal of any halftimely substitutions.
So Chelsea are a goalless half away from the league title, however this hasn’t been the efficiency of champions to this point. They don’t all should be, although, do they?
Half time: Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea
45+4 minutes: One final half-chance earlier than the interval: Galton is performed in down the left by Malard’s nicely-weighted move and crosses to Ildhusoy, whose header loops extensive.
45+1 minutes: There’ll be one thing within the area of three minutes of stoppage time. a replay, I believe that in all probability ought to have been a penalty for United: the ball was bouncing, Vibrant threw out a foot to kick it away, nevertheless it regarded like Clinton acquired to the ball fractionally earlier than her, and it was her foot that Vibrant kicked.
45 minutes: It’s simply not fairly falling for United. Clinton goes down within the space beneath Vibrant’s problem however doesn’t win a penalty; Malard has one other shot blocked.
41 minutes: For a second Chelsea gave the impression to be taking management of the sport, however since I first contemplated noting the actual fact United have been throughout them. So in all probability simply as properly I didn’t, all issues thought of.
38 minutes: What an opportunity for United! Malard latches on to a back-pass and runs into the world, however Hampton’s out shortly and by the point Malard shoots the keeper is simply too shut! The ball then runs out to Clinton, whose first-time 20-yard drive was on its method in, however Hampton will get up and turns it over the bar!
37 minutes: Chelsea’s second shot on the right track comes from the left foot of Millie Vibrant, about 25 yards, nevertheless it trundles feebly straight to Tullis-Joyce.
34 minutes: Probability! Chelsea have a nook on the correct, which drops to the toes of Niamh Charles, simply exterior the six-yard field! She will’t have been anticipating that to occur, although, as a result of her toes are by no means in the correct place to brush it in, and because it bounces off her and over the bar she has her head in her palms.
33 minutes: Chelsea have their finest assault of the sport, however Beever-Jones and Kaneryd each select to not shoot after they in all probability ought to have accomplished, after which Cuthbert does select to shoot however hits a defender.
30 minutes: A 3rd of the match performed, and the match is nearly being performed at a quick sufficient tempo for the shortage of threatening ahead play to be too irritating, for now.
28 minutes: A superb first contact from Charles takes her away from her marker, however she will be able to’t pick a blue shirt with the cross.
26 minutes: Ramirez goes off, and Johanna Kaneryd replaces her.
25 minutes: Ramirez is again on the sphere, nevertheless it seems like she’s simply making up the numbers whereas Chelsea put together a substitution.
24 minutes: Ramirez has left the pitch, so play can proceed with Chelsea right down to 10 gamers for now.
23 minutes: With the physios on, each different participant clusters spherical their coaches for a tactical replace. Ramirez is flat on her again, and doesn’t look to be getting any higher.
21 minutes: Ramirez goes down, feeling her proper knee. It’s not a contact harm, and there’s an opportunity that’s her evening over.
20 minutes: United hold the ball for some time, passing it alongside the midway line between their defenders, with each blue shirt behind the ball. Finally they chip it into the penalty space, and Vibrant heads it away once more.
17 minutes: One other save! And an unbelievable goal-saving block! Manchester United are so near taking the lead, however Malard’s shot is properly stopped, and because the ball runs to Clinton with the purpose gaping Girma flings herself in the best way of the shot!
16 minutes: Save! Mayra Ramirez takes a shot from extensive to the correct of purpose. It’s highly effective and on its method contained in the close to put up earlier than Tullis-Joyce throws out a glove.
15 minutes: Now United win a nook, which Gabby George takes from the correct. Clinton wins the header, 15 yards out or so, however she doesn’t management it in any respect. Purpose kick.
13 minutes: … which is cleared.
12 minutes: Chelsea get the ball into United’s penalty space, however they’re held up on the left and finally Jayde Riviere, who has began the sport properly, slides in to sort out and sends the ball behind for a nook.
10 minutes: Boos ring out after Janssen offers the ball away, goes down and the referee waves play on. It’s a superb resolution – Cuthbert acquired the ball – however Chelsea can’t capitalise, Beever-Jones’ cross going straight to the keeper.
9 minutes: A good begin for the house aspect, however nothing vaguely chance-ish for both crew as but.
6 minutes: Melvine Malard, United’s tall solo striker, is making a nuisance of herself. She performs a pleasant ball via to Clinton, however the cross is headed away.
4 minutes: Now Janssen brings down Lucy Bronze. United have set their pressurometer to 11.
3 minutes: Grace Clinton and Keira Walsh battle one another for the ball for some time on Chelsea’s proper flank. The referee finally decides that Clinton has battled a bit an excessive amount of, and provides a free-kick.
2 minutes: Chelsea have two extra league video games after right now: at Tottenham on Sunday, and at house to Liverpool subsequent Saturday. One level from this sport or both of these will win the league for them.
1 min: Peeeeeeep! Off they go!
Chelsea will kick off. Seems like a good ambiance at Leigh Sports activities Village.
Out come the gamers! Fingers are at present being clasped, and kick-off a few minutes away.
The 2 managers have chats with Sky. Chelsea’s Sonia Bompastor says:
It may very well be one alternative to take an enormous step to the title, we all know that. We have to concentrate on ourselves. We have to bounce again from the sport we had on Sunday.
Whereas Manchester United’s Marc Skinner says:
I imagine in what we’re about and who we’re, and I need to make it actually troublesome, actually actually troublesome. We should be able to go all the best way. That’s what I need to see from us tonight: full dedication.
Closing rating: Aston Villa 5-2 Arsenal
The ultimate whistle blows, the ultimate remnants of Arsenal’s title problem have been comprehensively shredded, and Chelsea are only one level from the title!
Villa lastly have a shot on the right track that doesn’t go in, Katie Robinson with a tame effort from simply exterior the world.
There are two minutes’ stoppage time remaining in that sport, and Arsenal have a goal-kick and 4 objectives to attain.
Aston Villa have earned their 5-2 lead with solely 5 pictures on the right track; Arsenal have had extra possession (64%), extra pictures (15-14) and extra pictures on the right track (6-5), in addition to extra corners (10-5) and plenty of, many extra passes (489-276 as I sort), however right here they’re.
The groups!
In the meantime the groups have landed for the late sport, and right here they’re:
Man Utd Ladies: Tullis-Joyce, Riviere, Le Tissier, Turner, George, Miyazawa, Ildhusoy, Janssen, Clinton, Galton, Malard. Subs: Middleton-Patel, Rendell, Mannion, Sandberg, Awujo, Naalsund, Toone, Griffiths, Terland.
Chelsea Ladies: Hampton, Bronze, Vibrant, Girma, Charles, Walsh, Kaptein, Beever-Jones, Cuthbert, Baltimore, Ramirez. Subs: Spencer, Hamano, Mpome, Jean-Francois, Macario, Reiten, Lawrence, Kaneryd, Nusken.
Absolutely that ends it! That is wild, wild stuff: a one-two on the midway line releases Chasity Grant to dash away from a excessive and understaffed Arsenal backline, and she or he makes no mistake – it’s 5-2!
And one other one! A loveley cross from the correct, and Alessia Russo stoops to move in on the close to put up! It’s 4-2 now, with 20 minutes or so to play!
Stina Blackstenius has pulled one again for Arsenal, getting on the top of a protracted move excessive of the Villa defence, operating clear, and scoring previous an uncovered keeper. It’s 4-1 now.
It’s a few years since something like this has occurred to Arsenal: within the area of some weeks in April and Could 2023 they misplaced league video games 4-1 to Manchester Metropolis and 3-0 at house to Brighton, however they don’t seem to be used to this type of factor. Earlier than this season they’d misplaced 10 video games in three years; Villa have misplaced seven of their final 10; Manchester United tonked them 4-0 the final time they performed a house sport.
GOAL! Wonderful scenes! Aston Villa are thrashing Arsenal
Nicely that is occurring: Aston Villa have simply scored a fourth – fourth – purpose towards Arsenal, an ideal transfer from goalkeeper via to ahead, wonderful passing and motion, ending with Rachel Daly poking previous the keeper to make it 4-0!
Howdy world!
Six factors clear with three video games to play, Chelsea would win the league tonight in the event that they take extra factors from this match than Arsenal get of their 6pm kick-off towards Aston Villa (more likely to be unimaginable: Arsenal have gained 12 of their final 13 within the league, slipping up solely towards Chelsea). The query is how the champions-elect deal with Sunday’s Champions League elimination by the hands of Barcelona.
“If we will win on Wednesday, will probably be an enormous step for the title,” stated the Chelsea coach, Sonia Bompastor. “This motivation is large enough for us to be targeted. I’m nonetheless actually assured going into the sport. I do know we have now the standard within the squad, and the gamers and the employees will probably be all collectively to show issues round and be able to compete.’
The truth that in the event that they keep away from defeat right here they might assure going a full calendar yr unbeaten within the WSL (successful 19 and drawing three) suggests there isn’t going to be a lot stopping them, however the potential of a post-cup-defeat hangover is a straw to cling to – and in vaguely comparable circumstances Chelsea misplaced an FA Cup semi-final to United of their first sport after they have been crushed in final season’s League Cup ultimate. “I believe it was the primary time we beat Chelsea,” stated the United ahead Melvine Malard. “It was good. If we will do it as soon as, we will do it once more. We have to suppose like that.”
We’ll know for positive properly earlier than kick-off however the chances are even when they win tonight Chelsea should wait till Sunday, after they go to Tottenham, to seal the title. However this sport nonetheless holds intrigue as a costume rehearsal for subsequent month’s FA Cup ultimate, the place Chelsea will try to finish the home treble for the second time in 5 seasons.