Chelsea warned of history repeating itself in Conti Cup final as fans spot Arsenal pattern
Supporters believe history may be on Arsenal's side as they head into their upcoming Women's Continental Tyres League Cup final clash with Chelsea.
The two sides will face off for the first silverware of the season at Molineux on Sunday - live on talkSPORT 2 - in a repeat of last year's final which the Gunners won 3-1.
And the circumstances surrounding this year's crunch match are incredibly similar to those which led to Arsenal's 2023 victory in the Conti Cup.
Having been knocked out of the Women's FA Cup after suffering a 2-0 away defeat to the Blues just two weeks before, Jonas Eidevall's side regrouped to gain revenge on their London rivals with a triumph in the Conti Cup.
First-half strikes from Stina Blackstenius and Kim Little before a Niamh Charles own goal saw the north Londoners come from behind to end their four-year trophy drought, after Sam Kerr's early strike had given Chelsea the lead.
Ahead of this campaign's final, some fans pointed out that a fortnight will also separate the Gunners' recent league loss to Chelsea and the two teams' upcoming showdown.
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Emma Hayes' group increased their lead over Arsenal to six points at the top of the WSL to boost their quadruple hopes with a 3-1 win in front of a 33,000-strong crowd at Stamford Bridge.
Recognising a potentially encouraging pattern for their club, one fan wrote on X: "Who remembers what happened when we lost to chelsea 2 weeks before the conti cup final?", followed by a photo of Arsenal lifting last year's trophy.
Another urged: "remember last season when we lost to chelsea then beat them after in the conti cup final arsenal please."
While the defending champions will surely be buoyed by this reminder, they could also benefit from having a much less hectic schedule than their rivals, who are still fighting on all four fronts.
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The WSL table-toppers must first avoid a huge upset in their midweek Women's Champions League second leg against Ajax, where they lead 3-0 after their first leg win, before turning their attention to the weekend's final.
Meanwhile Arsenal will have a full week to prepare for the clash, and will look to draw inspiration from their previous win over their rivals this campaign, having thrashed Chelsea 4-1 in December.