Chelsea Women travel to Liverpool on Sunday for their League Cup quarter-final, with Sonia Bompastor demanding a “better performance” than the 1-1 draw between the sides last month.
The defending champions enter the competition at the knockout stage after receiving a bye due to their Champions League participation.
Victory would secure Chelsea’s place in the semi-finals as they look to retain the trophy won in March. But bottom-of-the-table Liverpool proved stubborn opposition when they met in the WSL on November 16, holding the Blues to a draw despite Chelsea dominating possession with 65%.
https://twitter.com/CFC\_\_Women/status/2001963028061794799
Kick-off: 13:00 GMT, Sunday, December 21, 2025
Venue: St Helens Stadium, Liverpool
TV: Sky Sports (UK)
Bompastor Demands Higher Standards
Sonia Bompastor updates on Spencer, Walsh and Macario ahead of Liverpool. ℹ️
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) December 19, 2025
The Chelsea boss acknowledged her side didn’t perform at the required level in their previous meeting. “Liverpool were really well organised in terms of defensive aspects. We probably didn’t perform the way we wanted to, and at the level we needed to perform to get the better result,” Bompastor reflected.
https://twitter.com/LiverpoolFCW/status/2001594035094589825
Alyssa Thompson’s superb opener was cancelled out by Beata Olsson’s counter-attacking goal, with Chelsea unable to convert their dominance into a winning position. The Blues head coach wants a different approach this time: “It’s more for us to come into the game on Sunday with the right mindset and the right mentality for us to have a better performance.”
Chelsea’s Improved Form
Since that frustrating draw, Chelsea have rediscovered their goalscoring touch with three consecutive victories. They thrashed Roma 6-0 at Stamford Bridge before beating Wolfsburg 2-1 in Germany to seal third place in the Champions League group stage and automatic quarter-final qualification. Last weekend brought a comfortable 3-0 win at Brighton through Sandy Baltimore, an own goal and Thompson.
Liverpool topped their League Cup group with maximum points, beating Sheffield United, Durham and Sunderland. But they remain winless in the WSL, sitting bottom with three points after last weekend’s 2-2 draw at West Ham.
Gareth Taylor has issued a fitness update on his squad ahead of Sunday's meeting with Chelsea ⤵️
— Liverpool FC Women (@LiverpoolFCW) December 19, 2025
Predicted Lineups
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Laws; Parry, Clark, Matthews, Hinz; Holland, Nagano; Lundgaard, Daniels, Enderby; Olsson
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Peng; Bronze, Bright, Bjorn, Baltimore; Walsh, Cuthbert; Carpenter, Macario, Thompson; Kerr
https://twitter.com/ChelseaFCW/status/2002021067565727795
Also read: Sonia Bompastor Hails Chelsea’s Resilience After Comeback Win at Wolfsburg Secures Direct Champions League Quarter-Final Spot