LONDON (Reuters) – Arsenal fought back from a goal down to beat Chelsea 3-1 in the FA Women’s League Cup final on Sunday and claim the trophy for a record-extending sixth time.
Chelsea, who were the losing finalists for a second straight year, struck first with Sam Kerr’s close-range header beating goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger in the second minute.
Arsenal responded well and launched their comeback after a deflected pass fell at the feet of forward Stina Blackstenius, who kept her cool to slot home a side-footed finish in the 16th.
Sophie Ingle then brought down Katie McCabe inside Chelsea’s area to give away a penalty, which was expertly converted by Kim Little in the 24th minute, with a Niamh Charles own goal doubling Arsenal’s advantage just before halftime.
The game slowed down after a breathless first half and, though Chelsea enjoyed large spells of possession, Arsenal held on to secure their first trophy since 2019.
“We’re Arsenal and we need to win titles and trophies and we’re disappointed we haven’t been able to do that until now but we’ve done it,” captain Little told the BBC.
The teams now shift their focus back to the Women’s Super League, where defending champions Chelsea are third in the standings with 31 points from 12 games, while fourth-placed Arsenal are five points behind them.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
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