The Everton head coach Scott Phelan, reacting to his side’s defeat:

“If, individually, we keep failing with simple decisions, it’s hard for any pattern to appear, and I thought that was the case too often. [There were] unnecessary giveaways of the ball, [it was] too easy to turn over the ball, and that didn’t allow any of our play to appear as much in the first half. It was the lack of belief, that was the main thing that I took from the first half.”

Gareth Taylor, reflecting on his side’s first Anfield win over rivals Everton, says Liverpool tried to take the pressure of the players, explaining: “We just downplayed the game, if that makes sense, because it becomes something that’s so big that players start to worry. We want players to go out and feel natural, like they’re playing like they were when they were growing up.”

Half-time reading courtesy of the great Tom Garry at Anfield.

45 mins: McCabe is booked for delaying taking the corner while getting pelters from the away end. Good to see the referee thinks that worth the first yellow of the match …

Two mins added on.

44 mins: Arsenal move up the pitch quickly but Baum’s blind pass into the box is easily read and pumped clear.

Down the other end, Carpenter sends an easy pass down the line into space for Malard to race onto. The forward drives into the box and has time to think about what she does before firing a shot at the near post, which is turned behind.

42 mins: Arsenal are punished for doing very little with their domination. Little needs to bring a bit more to the party after a quiet start.

38 mins: The stats show that Malard has touched the ball fewer times than the two goalkeepers, which is an indication of how little attacking threat Chelsea have had.

The Blues then do have a brief attack, concluding with a weak shot from Thompson, which is gobbled up by Borbe.

36 mins: Catley pings a free-kick into the box, which is met by Williamson with her back to goal, and she can only head the ball up and over.

34 mins: It feels like more of a contest now but needs more penalty box incidents.

32 mins: The referee does not caution Stanway, which isn’t a great decision, especially after ignoring McCabe’s bad one on Baum earlier.

30 mins: A few tackles flying now. Chelsea probably needed something like this to wake everyone up.

It starts with Stanway needlessly flying into a challenge on Thompson. It is a stinker from Stanway who comes off far worse having hit her so hard. It should be a booking …

28 mins: Walsh looks like one of the Chelsea players who are up for this. She lifts a very dangerous cross into the box from deep but it is well defended at the back post.

26 mins: Chelsea reach the Arsenal box but the cross is poorly aimed.

The Gunners quickly counter as Russo holds the ball up before sending it onto Baum, who then slips a pass through to Caldentey with the conclusion being another shot against the post.

24 mins: McCabe is penalised for going through the back of Baum, and I think should be booked. The referee is too quick to award the free-kick, as Arsenal have the advantage.

Catley swings in the free-kick from the right flank but a Chelsea head reaches it first and the danger is gone.

Chelsea’s first shot comes from James with an audacious effort from a long way out, which the ‘keeper easily claims.

22 mins: Arsenal work it well down the left, opening up space for Batlle but her cross is poor and drifts over the bar and out.

20 mins: Arsenal are camped inside the Chelsea half. The reach the box and Cooney-Cross swings a foot at a shot which deflects into Russo’s path but she cannot turn quickly enough to get a chance away, and Chelsea clear.

Baum finds Little in the the box, from where she spins and slaps a shot against the post from a tight angle.

18 mins: Caldentey is in a good position inside the box from where she looks to find a killer pass but no one in red reads it, allowing Hampton to collect.

16 mins: It’s all Arsenal at the moment. Chelsea do not have the same intensity as their rivals from the north.

14 mins: Thompson is too slow to take control of the ball on the edge of her own box, so Baum nips in. She gets it out of her and shoots, only for this one to also be deflected. The corner creates some head tennis but Chelsea eventually clear.

12 mins: It is Baum who does claim the first shot. She drives down the right before cutting inside and thrashing a shot but McCabe gets in decent block for the cost of a corner.

10 mins: Baum attempts a first shot of the match but it is blocked on the edge of the box, so I am not counting that.

8 mins: Arsenal continue to calmly knock the ball about in an attempt to move a Chelsea defender out of position.

6 mins: It is a fun start with both teams up for it. Thompson goes for a first run at Fox, instigating a good battle down that side. The Arsenal defender wins the first one but I am sure there will be plenty more.

McCabe wins a corner after a slick move from Chelsea. James goes over to take it but it does not beat the near post and is headed clear.

Arsenal brak through Cooney-Cross but her pass is behind Stanway, slowing the move down and allowing Chelsea to regroup.

4 mins: The Gunners get their chance to knock it about, slowly building from the back. They are happy to bide their time on the ball to see what opens up, which is not much, meaning they are forced backwards. They go again, only for Baum to run it out of play.

2 mins: The Arsenal fans make the early noise in the stands but Chelsea have enjoyed all of the possession.

The players are in the tunnel and primed for kick off.

The conditions in west London look a little tricky with the wind swirling and rain falling.

Sonia Bompastor: “It is really great to play these games. At the end of my talk to the players I told them to enjoy the occasion. A big game, big crowd for a London derby.

“We want to approach the game with confidence and a good balance. Melvin is showing really good equaliy and was rady to start the game.

Renee Slegers: “I love these moments. We want to give everything on the pitch today.

“Clear heads today. The basics are going to be important today. We need to be really strong physically. Go out play and be free.”

The aforementioned underwhelming midweek nights for Arsenal and Chelsea.

I am sure Katie McCabe is raring to prove Arsenal wrong today after letting leave for free in the summer. She spent 11 years with the Gunners, before the club decided they wanted to find younger players.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Hampton; Carpenter, Brone, Buchanan, McCabe; Potter, Walsh, Kaptein; Thompson, James, Malard

Subs: Baltimore, Beaver-Jones, Bjorn, Buurman, Dragoni, Girma, Hamano, Nusken, Peng

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Borbe; Fox, Williamson, Catley, Batlle; Stanway, Cooney-Cross; Baum, Caldentey, Little; Russo

Subs: Misa, Wubben-Moy, Foord, Smith, Reuteler, Kelly, Blackstenius, Cerci, Holmberg

It is rare to see Melvine Malard without a grin and she has a mountain of reasons to keep it that way. A wedding in June, a big-money move to Chelsea, a Ballon d’Or nomination and a first taste of a London derby against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The France forward is loving life and the personality behind the smile that instantly connects her to teammates is infectious.

“Goals,” says Malard, with a laugh, when asked what keeps her happy. “Seriously though, it’s seeing the kids, the families, my family, in the stands. It is crazy. I love my life, I love my job, I’m happy with my wife and everything is good. I smile because of those things, because I’m happy.”