Arsenal end four-year trophy drought with Conti Cup final victory over Chelsea | OneFootball

Arsenal have ended their four-year trophy drought by winning the 2022/2023 FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup following a 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the final at Selhurst Park this afternoon.

Stina Blackstenius and Kim Little were on target for The Gunners in South London while their other goal came from the unfortunate Niamh Charles who put through her own net. The final was watched by a crowd of 19,010, a record for any match in the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup.

Chelsea started the match on the front foot and they were ahead inside two minutes. Guro Reiten delivered an inch-perfect cross onto the head of Sam Kerr who made no mistake from six yards.

The pair combined again six minutes later but this time, Kerr could couldn’t get the power on her header to significantly trouble Arsenal keeper Manuela Zinsberger.

The Gunners levelled matters in the 16th minute when Frida Maanum’s shot deflected into the path of Blackstenius and she beat Ann-Katrin Berger from just a few yards.

That goal brought momentum to Arsenal and eight minutes later, they were awarded a penalty when Katie McCabe drew a foul from Sophie Ingle in the box. Captain Little stepped up to take the spot kick and she sent Berger the wrong way as Arsenal went 2-1 up.

Blackstenius then saw an effort correctly ruled out for offside as Arsenal searched for further goals before Kerr headed wide when in a great position to score at the other end.

In the fifth minute of added time at the end of the first half, the game took a further twist. An Arsenal corner was delivered in from the right and the unfortunate Charles headed the ball into her own net, leaving Chelsea with a mountain to climb in the second half.

Caitlin Foord and Erin Cuthbert went close for their respective sides at the start of the second period but neither goalkeeper was troubled. Arsenal should then have had a penalty kick when Foord was caught by Kadeisha Buchanan in the box but the lineswoman failed to spot the foul. Melanie Leupolz then tested Zinsberger with an effort from 25 yards but the Austrian international was equal to it.

Chelsea continued to try to get some rhythm back in the game and Leupolz did rattle the bar late on but that was as close as The Blues came to finding another goal, Arsenal were the deserved 3-1 winners.

The FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup is the first trophy that Arsenal have won since they were crowned Barclays Women’s Super League champions in 2018/2019.