Chelsea Women kicked off just after midday with a youthful team starting our first friendly of the summer due to 11 senior players still featuring in Tokyo at the 2020 Olympic Games. Earlier this week, Australia, Canada and Sweden all made it through to the semi-finals of the women’s football tournament.
On a day of all seasons in the capital, the action started in the sunshine, with both sets of players enjoying the atmosphere with the return of fans into the stadium. Pernille Harder was an early withdrawal after 22 minutes as a precautionary move, with Academy player Emma Thompson taking her place.
Moments later, the hosts took the lead as Katie McCabe fired in the opener, with the Gunners continuing to apply the pressure throughout the first half and hold on to their 1-0 advantage at the break.