Arsenal vs Chelsea sets new Women’s Super League attendance record

Attendance records in women’s football continue to be broken, as Arsenal managed to attract another historic crowd to the Emirates Stadium for their clash with Chelsea on Sunday.

The attendance of 59,042 surpassed the last record of 54,115, set when Liverpool travelled to north London this season, by almost 5,000.

Arsenal CEO Vinai Venkatesham said: “The support we’ve seen for our women’s team has been incredible and is felt by everyone associated with our club.

“It’s been encouraging to see attendances and broadcast viewing figures grow this season across the WSL.

“We want to ensure that we drive this level of support consistently, season after season, as we continue to accelerate the sustainable growth of the women’s game.”

Arsenal dominated their guests to pull level with them at the top of the league, winning 4-1 thanks to goals from Beth Mead, Amanda Ilestedt and a brace from Alessia Russo.

They led from the eighth minute, when Mead slammed home to build on her brace against West Ham United last time out. Johanna Kaneryd pulled Chelsea level soon after but her strike was scant consolation when Ilestedt headed past Ann-Katrin Berger, causing Blues manager Emma Hayes to roll her eyes on the touchline.

Russo’s double then put the game beyond Chelsea’s reach, extending Arsenal’s winning run to eight in all competitions. They next face Tottenham Hotspur in the FA WSL Cup and Chelsea host Swedish outfit BK Häcken in the Champions League.

Almost 25,000 tickets have already been sold for Manchester United’s visit to the Emirates in February, Arsenal’s fastest-selling women’s fixture to date.

Spain beat England 1-0 in Sydney to win the Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history.

FIFA suspended Luis Rubiales over his unsolicited kiss on Jennifer Hermoso, with Spain threatening to pull out of UEFA. After mounting pressure, Rubiales later resigned in an interview with Piers Morgan.

Alex Greenwood tells FourFourTwo that England have changed more mentality-wise than ability-wise, with manager Sarina Wiegman imperative to that – and Wiegman’s success with the Lionesses has seen her linked with the England men’s team as a possible successor to Gareth Southgate, with the FA saying she would be under consideration for the role.

Meanwhile, Emma Hayes is leaving Chelsea at the end of the season and has opened up on the reasons behind her decision to quit Stamford Bridge.