Leader Chelsea scored first-half goals to beat third-placed Arsenal 3-1 with a Lauren James strike and Sjoeke Nusken double on Friday as it moved three points clear atop the Women’s Super League after the kickoff was delayed due to a kit clash.
The win before Chelsea’s record WSL home crowd of 32,970 puts them on 40 points, ahead of Manchester City, which visits Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, and six clear of Arsenal.
The start was put back half an hour after Arsenal turned up with the same white-coloured socks as Chelsea, prompting the Gunners to take a trip to the hosts’ souvenir store to buy dark replacements, covering up the Chelsea logo with tape.
James gave the home side the lead in the 15th minute, slowing her run and then accelerating again before blasting a shot at Manuela Zinsberger and, though the Arsenal keeper managed to block the ball it still spun into the goal.
The Blues doubled its lead six minutes later when Nusken steered home a long-range effort from Erin Cuthbert and the German international got her second when Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s shot deflected off her heel into the net.
Zinsberger pulled off a string of fine saves in the second half but Arsenal struggled to create opportunities until Kim Little’s strike deflected off Chelsea substitute Catarina Macario for an own goal in the 86th minute.
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