Arsenal vs Chelsea – Who Will Shine at Wembley in the Women’s FA Cup Final?

Arsenal take on Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on Saturday in the 2018 Women’s FA Cup Final. The Gunners will be aiming to clinch their fifteenth FA Cup victory, while the Blues will be battling to win the prestigious football award for the second time. This London derby will be a rematch of the 2016 Cup Final, which ended 1-0 in Arsenal’s favour.

The 2018 Women’s FA Cup – Arsenal’s Route to the Final

As members of the FA Women’s Super League, Arsenal entered the fight for the coveted football trophy in the fourth round proper, taking on Yeovil Town in Weston-Super-Mare. Despite failing to make the most of several early scoring opportunities, the Gunners eventually sealed a 3-0 win, thanks to goals from Jordan Nobbs and Beth Mead, and an own goal from Yeovil’s Hannah Miles.

They then played host to Millwall Lionesses at Meadow Park. They took a while to get into the match, but a Beth Mead goal in the 32nd minute was enough to see them safely through to the quarter-finals.

They were the favourites for the win when they played third tier Charlton Athletic at Meadow Park, but they certainly weren’t complacent on the pitch. Kim Little put the Gunners on the scoreboard in the fourth minute with a penalty kick, and Heather O’Reilly, Vivianne Miedema, Danielle Carter and Jordan Nobbs each put one past the keeper in the second half to earn Arsenal a 5-0 win.

Their semi-final against Everton was a more nerve-wracking affair for Gunners’ fans. A goal from Danielle Carter in the 25th minute gave Arsenal the lead but, to the delight of those at Rossett Park’s home end, Chloe Kelly netted a penalty in the second half to bring Everton back into contention. Arsenal secured their place in the final, however, in dramatic fashion, thanks to a Louise Quinn goal in stoppage time.

Chelsea’s Journey to Wembley – Impressive Scorelines and Clean Sheets

Chelsea started their cup campaign off in style with a 10-0 fourth round proper victory against London Bees. Erin Cuthbert racked up a hat-trick at the Hive, while Fran Kirby and Katie Chapman scored two apiece. Ji So-Yun and Millie Bright netted one each for the Blues, while Danielle Lea added to the Bees’ woes by scoring an own goal.

Multiple goals were also the order of the day when Chelsea were at home to Doncaster Rovers Belles in the next round. Ji So-Yun put the Blues ahead in the 13th minute of the game. The second half saw Erin Cuthbert netting two, as well as goals from Fran Kirby, Drew Spence and Ramona Bachmann, giving the Londoners a 6-0 victory and a quarter-final place.

The next challenge on their journey was to defeat Liverpool at Valerie Park. The Blues triumphed by 3-0, with the goals coming from Jonna Andersson, Katie Chapman and Maren Mjelde.

Their semi-final was a home tie against the reigning FA Cup holders, Manchester City. Fran Kirby scored twice to deny the visitors the chance to fight for the trophy, with the final score standing at 2-0. Not only did the result ensure that Chelsea would be in the final, it also meant they got there without conceding a single goal.

Will you be rooting for Arsenal or Chelsea in this year’s Women’s FA Cup Final? Tell us which team you think will win the football trophy on Twitter, on Facebook or in the comments section.