BRING ON BRISTOL: Chelsea v United League Cup final preview
Marc Skinner’s Manchester United take on ‘old foe, Chelsea’ in Sunday’s Subway League Cup final at Ashton Gate. But can the newcomers finally get one over on Chelsea in a final?
Who will park the bus and who will throw off the shackles and really go for it? Can United get revenge for their last-gasp FA Cup loss at Kingsmeadow? Clare McEwen previews the Reds vs Blues clash.
League Cup history
United continue to make club history as they reach the League Cup final for the first time. Their lack of final experience contrasts sharply with Chelsea, who will be making their seventh appearance in the trophy match.
Holders Chelsea beat the other Manchester team at Pride Park last year and have lifted the trophy on two other occasions: in 2019-20 and 2020-21. In fact, Chelsea have reached every League Cup final since 2019-20, winning three and finishing runners-up three times.
Run to the final
Both clubs entered at the quarter-final stage this year as a result of playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Chelsea beat Liverpool 9-1 in their quarter-final before grinding out a 1-0 win against in-form Manchester City. United came from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 in their quarter-final before a disciplined, if not thrilling 1-0 win against Arsenal [ed: I was there and it was an incredibly dull display].
Previous meetings
United sit one-point ahead of Chelsea in the WSL but it’s Chelsea with the vastly superior head-to-head record: 15 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in their 18 meetings. United’s only win so far came in the 2023-24 FA Cup semi-final when the Red Devils ground out a gritty 2-1 victory at Leigh Sports Village.
In their FA Cup Fifth Round tie a few weeks ago, Chelsea squeaked an extra time 2-1 win. Having gone toe-to-toe with Chelsea for the best part of 120 minutes, Naomi Girma’s first goal for the Blues brought heartbreak for Skinner’s side. But as he told the Inside Carrington podcast, recently:
“You don’t learn good lessons in victory. In defeat you learn your harshest lessons – they don’t have to be sad lessons but they have to be ones that wake you up.”
The games have got tighter as United mature as a team – let’s not forget they’ve only been around in this incarnation since 2018 – but this is the third time the teams have met in a final.
United will be hoping they’re awake enough to make it third time lucky.
Pragmatic Sonia Bompastor, when asked whether playing United again, straight after their recent meeting, posed any psychological challenges for the weekend’s game, replied:
“I wouldn’t say so because we are used to that. Like being able to face Man City last year, four times in a row in different competitions, in a short time was good exposure and a good experience in terms of psychological aspects.
“The main thing for us is every game is really different. I think it’s how you prepare yourself for these big games in different scenarios and different environments.
“So, we will be ready to face Man United again in a different context.“
Tactical battles
In their recent encounter the game was largely a midfield battle, with Bompastor packing her midfield to counter Skinner’s narrow setup. Chelsea were more proactive going forward whereas United remained compact until they spotted an opportunity. As you might expect from two disciplined and well-matched teams, all three goals came from set-piece situations.
Expect similar on Sunday where the key battles are likely to be in midfield and moments will make the difference. Recent encounters suggest a team effort will be the decisive factor but look out for sparks of genius from Lauren James (who has just signed a new deal with the Blues) and twinkle-toes Jess Park.
Not to mention that these teams have (arguably) the best two keepers in the league in Hannah Hampton and Phallon Tullis-Joyce, with the latter’s big saves and the former’s pin-point distribution helping them stay in the cup and in the top four in the WSL.
Player availability
Both squads have long-term injury woes. Chelsea remain without captain Millie Bright, Niamh Charles, and Catarina Macario (as well as the longer term sideline of Mayra Ramirez), but welcome back Kadeisha Buchanan and Nathalie Björn.
United remain without talismanic Tooney, Leah Galton, and Anna Sandberg, but Fridolina Rolfö and Jayde Riviere return for the final.
The Asian Cup is giving the managers a further headache as the Blues will be without Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter (who are still involved for Australia), while United will miss Hinata Miyazawa (Japan).
History and future
Since the competition was rebranded in the WSL era, only Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City have won it. Manchester United hope to continue their disruption of the big three and become the fourth name on the trophy.
But it’s all change for the League Cup for the future. From 2026-27, the Cup will no longer include teams who have qualified for the Champions League. This will allow the rest of the WSL – and the WSL2 teams – to have more matches and a greater chance of silverware, while also reducing the load on the top teams.
Whatever happens on Sunday, this will be the end of this era of the League Cup. Let’s hope Ashton Gate sees it go out with a bang.
Subway League Cup Final: Chelsea v Man United, Ashton Gate, Bristol, Sunday 15th March, kickoff 2.15pm.
Also live on BBC, Sky Sports.
