Chelsea

After once looking doomed, Mikel Arteta is leading Arsenal towards the title but Potter offers no guarantee of following suit.

There comes a point when the doubts become overwhelming and, unless Chelsea see a dramatic improvement in results and performances soon, it will be impossible for them not to accept that Potter does not belong in the same company as Klopp and Arteta. One of the main themes in All or Nothing was Arteta deciding that Aubameyang was a negative influence on Arsenal’s youngsters and forcing the striker out. The German inherited an average squad but his first season featured wins at Chelsea and City, a comeback against Dortmund and a run to the Europa League final. Even so, his suggestion that this is the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was discarded even though Chelsea cannot score, and was not on the bench for three league games. Although Potter has not lost the players, the owners have became aware it would not be easy to maintain their support of him if there is no improvement in results and performances in the next two games. Roman Abramovich never would have taken the 47-year-old from Brighton but Boehly and Clearlake were attracted by his coaching acumen, calmness and ability to work in a collegiate manner. The owners have given Potter a huge, bloated squad and he is having to make difficult selection decisions every week. They admire how Arsenal treated Arteta and it is easy to see where Potter was coming from after his side’s [2-0 defeat to Tottenham](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/26/tottenham-chelsea-premier-league-match-report) last Sunday. He has cited injuries, the World Cup interrupting his training schedule and a host of young signings needing time to settle. But we can also acknowledge that there would have been little uproar if they had lost their nerve with Arteta and, much as Chelsea are trying to give Graham Potter time to grow into his role, there comes a point when clubs must accept the glorious future they are waiting for is taking too long to arrive. [want to find out](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/27/chelsea-plan-to-stand-by-graham-potter-even-if-they-lose-to-leeds-and-dortmund).

Wesley Fofana scored his 1st Chelsea goal by heading home from a Ben Chilwell corner against Leeds. Chelsea had gone more than 400 minutes without scoring.

A nervous Chelsea eked out an urgently needed 1-0 victory thanks to Wesley Fofana's second-half goal against struggling Leeds.

Kovacic, captaining the team in Silva’s absence, went off and the nerves grew. Or was a forward with two goals since Christmas going to dither and allow Illan Meslier to make a smothering save? They looked united, even though they were missing the leadership of Thiago Silva in defence and Reece James on the right. Luke Ayling flicked a header against the woodwork in the 90th minute and Leeds, a point above the bottom three, were entitled to feel they deserved a draw. The frustration was that Chelsea could have buried Leeds in the first 25 minutes. Up in the directors’ box, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali were deep in conversation.

Chelsea beat Leeds United 1-0 thanks to a Wesley Fofana header that put an end to their winless run.

- Joao Felix receives the ball on the edge of the box and smacks an effort first time off the bar. He came close to giving the Blues the lead in the first half but made up for it by scoring the winner. The Blues will be desperate for this to be the start of some good form and not a false dawn. Fofana had a similar chance in the first half which went over the bar but he made no mistake with this attempt. Chelsea's intensity had faded and they started to look more like the Chelsea of recent weeks. Graham Potter's side worked the ball well into the wide areas, with Ben Chilwell and Ruben Loftus-Cheek both getting into areas to deliver crosses into the box.

Wesley Fofana's header in the early stages of the second half ensured an upbeat start to spring as Chelsea's nightmare winter came to an end.

[Ruben Loftus-Cheek](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/186505/Ruben-Loftus-Cheek), 6 - A typically diligent showing from the big midfielder stationed at right wing-back. Made a smart late stop from [Mateo Joseph](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/346709/Mateo-Joseph) before clutching an even later header from Meslier. A leading light during Chelsea's period of dominance, but faded thereafter and was removed as Potter looked to lock in the victory. Full of running, but continues to spend too much time on the periphery of Chelsea's approach. On the front foot throughout as Chelsea bossed the midfield from the off, but faded in influence and made way for Chukwuemeka as Potter reshuffled his pack late in the second half. Put in plenty of hard yards and showed tremendous stamina in his contribution before making way for Madueke in the late stages. [Kepa Arrizabalaga](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/169532/Kepa-Arrizabalaga), 6 -- Seldom called upon during Chelsea's early dominance, but had to be alert more than once to support his back three in possession. Took no prisoners, as per usual, and managed to take the sting out of Rutter's goal-bound attempt at a key point in the game. Happier out of possession than in it, but growing in stature all the time. There was no such mistake made for the winning goal, however, and thereafter the Frenchman was a totemic presence at the back. The resultant extra man in midfield gave Chelsea total dominance in the early stages, but yet again a tactical victory was undone by wayward finishing from his forwards. Chelsea were undoubtedly good value for their lead and, after struggling to adapt to the rare position of being ahead, saw out two sustained spells of Leeds pressure and held on to register a priceless clean sheet.

Big-spending Chelsea pulled out a big win to ease some of the pressure on manager Graham Potter, beating Leeds 1-0 in the English Premier League on Saturday ...

Potter has come under huge pressure but he celebrated the goal calmly in his dugout. Wesley Fofana headed in from a corner in the 53rd minute for the young center backs’ first league goal in English soccer, giving Chelsea only a second win in its last 11 games in all competitions. LONDON (AP) — Big-spending Chelsea pulled out a big win to ease some of the pressure on manager Graham Potter, beating Leeds 1-0 in the English Premier League on Saturday thanks to a rare goal by one of the club’s most expensive signings.

A leaping header from France defender Wesley Forfana earned Chelsea a rare goal and Premier League win against struggling Leeds United in a nervous ...

The narrow and not entirely convincing win leaves Chelsea in 10th place but is a boost before their second leg last-16 Champions League game with Dortmund at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, when they need to score twice to overcome a 1-0 deficit. Chelsea were dominant in the first half and on-loan Portuguese Joao Felix rattled the bar but it was not until the 53rd minute that Fofana put away Ben Chilwell's corner. It was the first win since Jan.

Tim Howard and Robbie Mustoe question the Chelsea squad's attitude as the dressing room of superstars continues to struggle in front of goal and pile the ...

Graham Potter praised Chelsea's character as his struggling side eased the pressure on their beleaguered boss with a battling 1-0 win against Leeds on ...

It's really good for the players to win a game and have that feeling." He's got the personality." "It's good for confidence, good for morale. "It's been a tough period for us. If the game starts to become Hawaii (flamboyant) football, up and down, it can be a challenge for us," Potter said. They want us to win with more comfort, and we all want that.

Graham Potter was pleased to end the suffering for his players and supporters after Chelsea eased the pressure on their head coach by beating Leeds 1-0.

The boys stuck at it and the crowd were great.” “We wanted to score the second goal but it was a game against one of the best teams in terms of high intensity in the Premier League,” Potter said. Javi Gracia felt that Leeds, who are a point above the bottom three, deserved more. That is the job.” “That is where you would expect us to be given the run we’ve had. “It’s a nice three points and an important three points,” Chelsea’s head coach said.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter hailed Saturday's "big win" over Leeds that gave them their first victory since Jan. 15.

"It's really good for the players to win and to keep a clean sheet," Potter said. "We are delighted with the win that's for sure because we've had a tough period." "I'm delighted for the players and for the supporters because they are the most important in the football club."

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly saw his team win for the first time in seven games as they beat Leeds 1-0. Boehly very briefly spoke to a reporter after the ...

The Blues edged past Javi Gracia's relegation-threatened Leeds at Stamford Bridge thanks to a header from Wesley Fofana, only having three shots on target ...

It's been a tough period for us all and it's nice to go home with a win. [Chelsea](/sport/teampages/chelsea.html)'s showing in a nervy win against [Leeds](/sport/teampages/leeds-united.html) on Saturday. The boys have been suffering because they care, they do. Players want to win and supporters want us to do well. It's good for confidence and morale. [Graham Potter](/sport/graham-potter/index.html)'s side only had three shots on target and failed to fully convince in their performance against the strugglers.

Jonas Eidevall says Arsenal will have to be at their best to stop Sam Kerr and Chelsea when the five-time Conti Cup winners take on the Blues in front of a ...

"It's exciting. "I just know from our perspective, we've had a long time to keep working on ourselves, we just have to make the tweaks as and when the game starts and adapt like that." Jonas Eidevall says Arsenal will have to be at their best to stop Sam Kerr and Chelsea when the five-time Conti Cup winners take on the Blues in front of a record-crowd of more than 20,000 fans in this year's final at Selhurst Park on Sunday

GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea (Yep 2). Sam Kerr scores against Arsenal again!

We want to compete on all fronts and this gives us a chance to build towards the end of the season with a trophy under our belt. If Arsenal are to win their first trophy since 2019, and the first under Jonas Eidevall, who better to do it against? Perisset’s cross from the right wasn’t properly cleared, with Cuthbert efficiently collecting the loose ball and and finding Reiten on the other side of the area. Maanum still got away a shot of sorts, which ricocheted off Eriksson and into the path of Blacksteinus, unmarked 12 yards out. She ran to within 25 yards of goal and was about to shoot when Kerr challenged her from behind. 23 min McCabe slips Ingle just inside the area and goes over, and Arsenal have a penalty! Blackstenius was fouled by Eriksson near the halfway line, and Little took the free-kick instantly to release Maanum. Maanum’s clever header releases McCabe, who is just beaten to the bouncing ball on the edge of the area by Berger. They both go down, with McCabe holding her head, but it looked like a really good – and brave – bit of goalkeeping. McCabe kicked Berger in the chest and, though she was going for the ball, you can understand why a yellow card was dhown. Stina Blackstenius equalised after a quickly taken free-kick, a symbol of Arsenal’s tempo in the first half, and then Kim Little scored emphatically from the spot after Katie McCabe tricked Sophie Ingle into a loose challenge. Then she curls a terrific cross to the far post, where Kerr heads wide under pressure from Catley.

Arsenal are the most successful club in the competition's 11-year history, having won the Conti Cup on five occasions.

For Arsenal, I’d also expect a similar line-up with only minor changes to the personnel. I would expect Emma Hayes to select a very similar team to the one that beat Arsenal last time out in the FA Cup. Eve Perisset and Jelena Cankovic both had a really good game against the Gunners, the latter registered an assist for Sam Kerr’s strike in the second half. For Arsenal, I’d expect one change from last week’s contest, with winger Victoria Pelova replacing Katie McCabe to add an extra dynamic to the Gunners’ fledgling attack. Jelena Cankovic impressed against Arsenal last time out so she keeps her place alongside Guro Reiten and Lauren James, with centurion Sam Kerr leading the line. Sophie Ingle and Erin Cuthbert stay in midfield, with Niamh Charles keeping her place in the starting lineup and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd coming in too.

Cup glory can give the Gunners a much-needed confidence boost but Eidevall's side still have a long way to go to catch up with the WSL champions, ...

If Arsenal were to win the Continental Cup this season, it would not yet put them back on a level with Chelsea. But Manchester City themselves might advise Arsenal that beating Chelsea in a cup final is not the panacea some might think. After all, they only pipped Arsenal to the title by a point last season, and Manchester City by two points the season before. Since the start of 2019/20, Chelsea have only lost twice in the domestic cups – being knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton in 2019/20 and losing last year’s Continental Cup final to Manchester City. They are out of the FA Cup, 5 points behind Chelsea in the league, and a push for the Champions League seems unfeasible given current form. After all, it is only one win in 13 matches in all competitions for the Gunners.

The women's League Cup is being held at a sold out Selhurst Park between the two London sides who are both looking for a big win.

Chelsea win a free-kick just outside the area. Chelsea certainly need to heed these warnings... Some pretty play from Arsenal in the final few minutes ultimately led to nothing, and as Chelsea break forward, James wins a free kick but Cuthbert's long ball forward also comes to nothing. Some good play from Chelsea sees Reiten latch onto a long ball on the left flank (again) but her cross is over hit. Arsenal have had their fun with corners today, so there's little surprise that they win another one just as injury time looks to be wrapping up, this time through Martiz. Arsenal go into the interval two goals ahead and Chelsea have a whole lotta work to do in the second half. The Chelsea boss clearly wasn’t happy with what she was watching, evidenced by the introduction of Kadeisha Buchanan after just 40 minutes. Kerr squares it to Lauren James who is running into the area but her strikes sails just over the bar. What little threat Chelsea were offering some minutes ago feels like a distant memory. A corner is offered, in what can only be meagre recompence for a poor call from the officials. Chelsea have some half-chances through Lauren James, Cuthbert and Kerr but Kerr's header is wayward and Cuthbert is constantly flouted by some stubborn and dogged defending from Rafaelle. Another yellow card born out of frustration for Chelsea, this one soundtracked without err to the triumphant glee of the chanting Arsenal fans.

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 ...

Register for free to Reuters and know the full story "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. LONDON, March 5 (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.

Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-1 to win their first trophy in almost four years, with goals from Kim Little, Stina Blackstenius and a Niamh Charles own goal, ...

It was almost 3-1 when Blackstenius connected with Catley's sliced cross into the six-yard box, but her near-post header was well saved by Berger. [Jonas Eidevall made one change from the side that was beaten 2-0 by Chelsea in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup](https://www.football.london/womens-football/chelsea-women-player-ratings-arsenal-26335700), with Noelle Maritz coming in for Laura Wienroither, while Hayes stuck with the same starting XI that triumphed at Kingsmeadow. In an attempt to regain a grasp on the game, Emma Hayes introduced centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan after just 40 minutes, but her tactical tweak failed to produce the desired result, with Rafaelle's header - deflected into the Chelsea net by Niamh Charles - on the stroke of half time leaving the Blues with a mountain to climb in the second half. [Beth Mead delivers promising England injury update for Women's World Cup with added inspiration](https://www.football.london/womens-football/beth-mead-injury-update-england-26319487) [Arsenal complete raid for former Leicester City coach Lydia Bedford](https://www.football.london/womens-football/arsenal-leicester-city-lydia-bedford-26330365) [England player ratings as Lionesses retain Arnold Clark Cup as Chloe Kelly shines](https://www.football.london/womens-football/england-arnold-clark-cup-ratings-26306106) [Arsenal player ratings vs Chelsea as Gunners disappoint and crash out of FA Cup fifth round](https://www.football.london/womens-football/arsenal-women-fa-cup-result-26334893) [Arsenal's Caitlin Foord expected to pick up the slack from from Mead and Miedema loss](https://www.football.london/womens-football/arsenal-wsl-foord-mead-meidema-26314983) Chelsea, meanwhile, took to the field hoping to keep their Quadruple hopes alive and searching for their third Conti Cup title in just four seasons. [Arsenal](https://www.football.london/all-about/arsenal-women) went into Sunday's clash bidding to win their first trophy in almost four years; the Gunners having failed to come out on top in any of their last five meetings with Emma Hayes' side.

Mateo Kovacic believes Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Leeds United on Saturday showed they "can fight fo...

We know in moments like this we have to do better." "The DNA of this club is to fight until the end. "We have a very important game against Espanyol next Saturday in front of our fans. "I think it was a fair point for both teams. "This is the reality. "It was a difficult match for us," Ancelotti added.

Chelsea were beaten 3-1 by Arsenal in the Continental Tyres League Cup Final at Selhurst Park.

Looked bright early on but didn't see much of the ball in the first half. Better after the break but nowhere near her usual level. Some buccaneering runs down the left flank early on but faded as the game went on. Subbed at the break. Looked more solid with Kadeisha Buchanan beside her after the Canada international came on just before half-time. Did well to command her area amid a flurry of early corners.

Arsenal come from behind to beat Chelsea in the Continental League Cup final and win their first trophy in four years.

Frida Maanum (Arsenal Women) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Attempt blocked. Post update - Home8 - Shots - Possession - 19,010 - 18Marckese - 5Beattie Hayes said: "Everything has to be top class and today it was not at Chelsea standard. - 10Little - 1Zinsberger

Arsenal recover from early Sam Kerr goal to lift trophy.

Arsenal Women won their 1st trophy since 2019 by coming from behind to beat London rivals Chelsea 3-1 at Selhurst Park in the 2023 FA Women's League Cup ...