Chelsea appeared to have taken the lead in the middle of the first half when Mayra Ramirez lofted a sublime long-range shot past Manuela Zinsberger. However, VAR ruled that out on the basis of a mishandling by Erin Cuthbert during the buildup. It was the closest the game came to a goal in a first half rife with half-chances, with Cloe Lacasse failing to beat Hannah Hampton one-on-one in the second half as Arsenal’s best opportunity in regular time.

With extra-time on the horizon, Lauren James was positioned on goal by Guro Reiten’s astute lobbed pass. However, as she awaited the shot, the angle narrowed, which worked in Zinsberger’s favor; she made an impressive save to prevent the England international from opening the scoring.

We proceeded to extra-time, but not before witnessing truly horrifying sequences as Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum collapsed off the ball and required critical medical attention prior to being carried off on a stretcher.

The Arsenal supporters made every effort to motivate their team during a game that sadly stalled due to a truly concerning situation, and it was the Gunners who generated the best opportunity in extra time: Blackstenius scuffed a golden chance over the bar after Alessia Russo deftly fed her through on goal.

Despite this, the Swedish national did not dwell on her error; in fact, it was during the final four minutes of extra-time that she scored the game’s sole goal; her bullet was too potent for Hampton to block as Arsenal maintained their Conti Cup championship.