ARSENAL RESTORE TOP TEAM STATUS
Arsenal 3 (Fleeting 24, White 48, 69)
Charlton Athletic 0
FA Women’s Premier League Cup final
Griffin Park, Brentford
6 March 2005
Arsenal completed the restoration of their status as England's top women's team with a comprehensive Premier League Cup final victory over their closest rivals.
Captain Faye White clinched victory with two second-half goals and afterwards held aloft the Gunners' 20th trophy in 14 seasons, although it was their first League Cup success since winning the competition en route to completing the treble of League, FA Cup and League Cup in 2000-01.
The two seasons that followed were dominated by Fulham, who as Europe's only full-time professional women's team did the treble themselves in 2002-03. At that point, however, the majority of their funding was cut and they subsequently fell out of contention for major prizes.
Charlton had then won the 2004 League Cup – after beating Arsenal in the semi-final – but following that defeat the Gunners had gone on a run of 34 consecutive unbeaten domestic League and Cup matches ahead of this League Cup final.
They had won the 2003-04 FA Cup final against the Addicks then pipped them to the League title and, by so doing, seemed to have established an edge over the south London team.
But this 2004-05 campaign had opened with Charlton winning the FA Community Shield meeting of the two clubs and then, perhaps more significantly, forcing a League draw on Arsenal territory.
So when the women's game's two heavyweights stepped into this final, a close-fought contest was expected. And in the first half it turned out that way, Charlton controlling for long periods but squandering chances either side of Scotland striker Julie Fleeting's headed opening goal.
Three minutes after the interval England skipper White scrambled in the second from a corner by wing-back Kirsty Pealling, who had also provided the cross for Fleeting's 24th minute goal.
From that point Arsenal dominated, and in the 69th minute central defender White drove in a tremendous 30-yard effort to wrap up a victory which kept the Gunners in line for what would have been their third treble in 11 years.
But it was a treble they were denied by Everton a fortnight after the League Cup final, the Toffees knocking them out in the FA Cup semi-final but then going on to lose against Charlton in the final.
Arsenal (3-4-1-2): Byrne; White, Phillip, Champ; Pealling (Tracey, 86), Ludlow, Grant, Wheatley (McBride, 86); Sanderson (Asante, 71); Fleeting, Banks.
Substitutes not used: Lorton, Hearn.
Charlton Athletic (4-4-2): Cope; Stoney, Coss, Hills, Reidy; Murphy, Chapman, Williams (Smith, 63), Broadhurst (Clarke, 76); Aluko (Heatherson, 50), Walker.
Substitutes not used: Hunn, Cabey-Gooden.
Referee: C Henry.
RESULTS
Preliminary Round
29/8/2004
Blackburn Rovers 3-2 Oldham Curzon
Tranmere Rovers 2- 0 Southampton Saints
First Round
12/9/2004
Ipswich Town 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Enfield Town 1-5 Fulham
Coventry City 1-2 Cardiff City
Tranmere Rovers 0-2 Millwall Lionesses
Brighton & Hove Albion 5-1 Langford
AFC Wimbledon 0-7 Birmingham City
Middlesbrough 1-3 Manchester City
Doncaster Rovers Belles 1-0 Aston Villa
Lincoln City 0-6 Everton
Blackburn Rovers 0-3 Leeds United
Portsmouth 2-3 Watford
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-5 Bristol Rovers
Arsenal w/o Sunderland (walkover for Arsenal)
Chelsea 1-2 Bristol City
Crystal Palace 1-3 Liverpool
Charlton Athletic w/o Stockport County (walkover for Charlton)
Second Round
10/10/2004
Arsenal 4-1 Bristol City
Birmingham City 6-0 Millwall Lionesses
Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 Watford
Cardiff City 1-5 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Charlton Athletic 6-0 Manchester City
Everton 0-2 Bristol Rovers
Leeds United 2-3 Fulham
Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Liverpool
Quarter-finals
7/11/2004
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-5 Liverpool
Arsenal 3-0 Fulham
Charlton Athletic 3-0 Bristol Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Belles 1-2 Birmingham City
Semi-finals
12/12/2004
Liverpool 0-3 Charlton Athletic
Birmingham City 1-3 Arsenal
Final
6/3/2005
Arsenal 3-0 Charlton Athletic
Further reading: HERE
