Chelsea beat Manchester City in the League Cup semi final on Wednesday night, but Sonia Bompastor is already fully focused on her team’s next game against Arsenal.
The Blues are in a ‘season defining’ period in which they are looking to catch up at the top of the WSL table.
Sonia Bompastor: No time to celebrate
Chelsea won arguably the biggest game of their season so far on Wednesday night.
Wieke Kaptein scored the only goal of the game as Sonia Bompastor’s side edged past Manchester City by a one goal margin.
But despite the win, Bompastor insisted that there was no time to celebrate the victory.
Chelsea play Arsenal on Saturday afternoon in a game that could all but end the race for a top two finish in the WSL.
“We’ve reached the League Cup final and it’s the first trophy we can grab in our season,” Bompastor said. “But now we need to put that to the side and focus on the final later.
“Winning never gets old, and for a club like Chelsea, it’s really important. We go into every game to compete and to win. We stated our ambitions from the beginning of the season, but proving it on the pitch is even more crucial.”
Sonia Bompastor has now beaten three different Man City managers six times in seven meetings in two seasons. pic.twitter.com/9POhHKSepy
— Chelsea Women (@CFC__Women) January 21, 2026
A win for Chelsea against Arsenal would extend the gap to seven points between second and third. More importantly, three points would give them an opportunity to get closer to City at the top of the table.
“Now we have to focus on our recovery because we are playing in a few hours against Arsenal, another really big game,” Bompastor continued.
“We knew coming into these three games – the one tonight and the next two – they would define our season. Starting with a victory away from home is really good for our confidence.”
\
A record SEVEN League Cup finals in a row! 🤯#CFCW pic.twitter.com/0aDh7MQLbN
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) January 21, 2026
Tough fixture schedule for Chelsea
There will be no respite for the Blues after their Arsenal clash, as they face Man City for the final time this season just one week later.
The next two weeks really could make or break Chelsea’s season but they have started off a crucial period with an important win.
Having now beat City twice in two games this season, Sonia Bompastor will be confident her side can win another essential meeting against their title rivals.
The current WSL leaders will host the game at the start of February. If City do win, the title would be almost of reach for Chelsea and would spice up the title race heading into the run in.
However if Chelsea pick up three points, they will feel confident on catching up to City after a poor start to the campaign.
