LIVE BLOG

90+5min: FULL TIME! Chelsea win!

90+4min: Ji finds England, who loses her marker but the goalkeeper makes a great save. Spurs then lose the ball, but Ji misses the easy square pass for a sure goal, and the score remains just 1-0.

90+3min: Ji finds Reiten in the area, but she slips as she shoots, and the goalkeeper can gather. Chelsea seeing out the game well enough however.

90min: 5 minutes added on, with 24,564 in announced attendance.

89min: The corner’s taken by Reiten, the ball bounces around in the area, but Spurs eventually clear.

88min: Another Chelsea free kick, wide left this time by the corner flag. Good delivery, but Spurs clear their lines. Chelsea come again, with Ji finding Cuthbert in the right channel. She sits one defender down, but the second one gets a block in.

86min: Long ball up from Chelsea drops to Mjelde, who tries to leather one towards the goal, but it’s blocked. Suggestions of a handball, but the referee waves play on.

85min: Furness earns a yellow for a late tackle on Cooper, as Spurs make their final change.

84min: Ji with a half-chance to shoot, but it’s Spurs who are pushing more. Furness’s deep cross is caught safely by Berger.

82min: Spurs win a corner as Graham’s long shot is deflected over the bar. Chelsea charge down the short corner well and clear all the way up the pitch.

80min: Andersson’s on for the Blues, replacing Blundell at left back.

78min: Both players seem okay to carry on. Meanwhile, England takes on half the defense to win a free kick wide right, level with the six-yard area. Reiten puts it into the mixer, but Spencer tips it over. The follow-up corner is cleared.

74min: The game is stopped for a clash of heads in the middle between Ingle and Graham.

73min: Both sides make an attacking change, with Addison on for Spurs and Cuthbert replacing Engman for Chelsea.

70min: And another free kick on the left. Reiten’s delivery is poor this time and does not beat the first defender. Chelsea maintain possession, until a loose pass in the middle gives Spurs a chance to counter, which they waste.

67min: Reiten wins another Chelsea free kick on the left flank. She delivers into the area, half-cleared by Spurs and set upon by Bright, but her powerful effort finds only the stanchion behind the goal.

65min: Chelsea with a period of possession that goes nowhere, then a long ball for England is easily defended.

62min: Cooper on for Spence in Chelsea’s first change of the game. Cooper slots in at right back, with Mjelde moving into midfield.

59min: Chelsea hit the woodwork twice in quick succession! Spence from range, then Reiten from the rebound. Blues had been maintaining possession well and building towards a second goal. Unlucky.

55min: Blundell wins a free kick on the left, but Reiten’s cross is clear. Davison with a chance to counter, but Chelsea recover well.

52min: Slick passing up the right flank, with Ji pulling the strings, results in a shot from Spence, but it’s straight at the goalkeeper.

50min: Furness with a shot from the top of the box, but Berger gets an arm down to save. Spurs always in it at just 1-0.

49min: Spurs with a bit of early pressure, but it’s Chelsea who are almost in with a long ball up towards Engman. Goalkeeper comes a long way to half-clear, and the defense does the rest.

46min: Spurs make one change at half time and get the game going again.

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45+2min: HALF TIME. Chelsea lead 1-0.

45min: Chelsea come through the center with another series of 1-2s between Spence, Ingle, and others, before Reiten powers one at goal from 25 yards, which is parried wide by the goalkeeper.

43min: Chelsea’s latest corner runs through to Mjelde at the top of the box in the right channel, but she’s quickly closed down and Spurs counter. While Chelsea stop the intial attack, Spurs maintain possession and take aim from 20 yards. Haines’ shot just misses the top corner.

39min: Ji threads through a pass in the left channel for Engman. She beats her man to the ball, but rolls the shot wide of the near post.

38min: Spurs with a brief spell of possession, but Chelsea defend well.

34min: Chelsea combining through the middle almost gets Reiten in, but Spurs get a foot in. The ball falls to England at the top of the box, but this time her shot is over the bar.

32min: Spurs reverse pass finds their left winger in acres of space, but her shot-cross is blocked by Berger and cleared by the defense. Good chance for Spurs!

31min: Spurs with a rare foray into Chelsea’s half earns them a free kick, which is delivered from deep in midfield but headed well wide by Furness.

30min: Chelsea work their way up the right flank, with Reiten and Mjelde combining excellently. Reiten rolls a cutback through the area and Blundell arrives but her shot is partially blocked and he goalkeeper can catch.

26min: Chelsea come through the middle this time, with some intricate passing led by Ji, eventually finding Spence in the right channel. Her short cross is cleared just ahead of England.

25min: Another Reiten corner is half-cleared. Spence heads it back in, but Eriksson’s flick on is over the bar.

23min: Chelsea keep up the pressure and win another corner, but Spurs clear. It’s all one-way traffic so far, with Spurs dropping deep and Chelsea attacking through the wings.

19min: Blundell steams forward again on the left, but her cutback is cut out. Chelsea then switch flanks and come up on the right, but Spence’s return ball on a 1-2 is too strong and Spurs have a goal kick.

18min: Chelsea have a free kick, which Reiten swings in from deep. The header’s missed and the ball falls to Ingle at the far post, but she can’t quite get her foot on it and the goalkeeper grabs it.

15min: Chelsea win the ball in midfield and turn upfield. Reiten’s final ball for Engman is cut out by a sliding leg however.

13min: Chelsea attack on the right this time, but Mjelde’s cross is cut out.

10min: A series of 1-2s in the middle ends with Spence getting hacked down. Schillaci gets the well-deserved yellow; could’ve been more. Ji and Reiten try to work a clever short free kick, but Spurs are wise to it.

9min: Chelsea win the game’s first corner as Blundell’s cross is blocked. Reiten takes, but Spurs head clear in the six.

6min: Chelsea attack through Blundell on the left, but Spurs head clear and try to counter. Bright’s there to cut it out and clear for a throw. Bright clear again as Spurs create from the throw with a quick switch right to left.

4min: GOAL!!! ENGLAND!!! Spurs lose the ball in their defensive third and Beth England finds the top corner from 25 yards out!! 1-0, CHELSEA!!

3min: More technical difficulties, but it looks like they’re finally sorted and we have live audio and video now as Chelsea look long, but Spurs defend it well enough.

KICK-OFF: The FA Player’s having some audio difficulties and the stream is a bit choppy, but otherwise it’s football at the Bridge, and it’s live! Chelsea get us underway.

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The first game of the 2019-20 FA Women’s Super League is here for Chelsea, and it’s an extra special occasion as the Blues take on newly promoted Spurs at Stamford Bridge, which is expected to be a sellout.

Chelsea finished third last season and will be looking to do better this season.

Here we go!

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Chelsea FCW starting XI:
Berger | Blundell, Bright, Ingle, England, Ji, Reiten, Eriksson (c), Engman, Mjelde, Spence

Substitutes from: Telford, Thorisdottir, Asante, Andersson, Cooper, Cuthbert, Fleming

Tottenham Hotspur FCW starting XI:
Spencer | Neville, Schillaci (c), Godfrey, Worm, Percival, Furness, Haines, Davison, Quinn, Graham

Substitutes from: Morgan, Peplow, Leon, Filbey, McLean, Ayane, Addison

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Date / Time: Sunday, September 8, 2019; 12:30 BST; 7:30am EDT; 5:00pm IST
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Forecast: Warm-ish and partly sunny

How to watch: The FA Player — the free (yes, FREE) service from the FA that will broadcast each and every WSL match this season (barring any local broadcast rights). Did I mention is free? All you have to do is sign up on the FA Player website, and you’re good to go. Most excellent service that should be applauded (and will hopefully be less glitchy than when Chelsea tried to broadcast game this summer). The match is also live on the BBC.

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Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!