Chelsea’s meeting with Manchester United has been moved to avoid clashing with the women’s FA Cup final in a Premier League first. The top-flight fixture was originally scheduled for Sunday, 18 May, after being picked for television broadcast.
The entire round of Premier League fixtures that weekend had been scheduled for the Sunday. That is so that there is no clash with the men’s FA Cup final, which takes place at Wembley Stadium on May 17. However, Chelsea and United are said to have argued that this would clash with the women’s FA Cup final, in which both of their women’s teams face each other.
According to the Guardian, the two clubs made a request to the Premier League to move the match to the preceding Friday. They argued that their fans should be able to watch the men’s team as well as being able to travel to Wembley Stadium for the women’s FA Cup final, and not have to pick between the two.
It is the first time a Premier League match has been rescheduled to avoid clashing with a women’s game. The men’s match will now take place on Friday, May 16, live on Sky Sports.
Both men’s teams have struggled for form of late. Chelsea’s late comeback in their 2-1 victory over local rivals Fulham on Sunday just about keeps Enzo Maresca’s side in the hunt for Champions League qualification for next season.
Chelsea initially challenged Liverpool for the Premier League trophy but have dramatically fallen out of the title race in the second half of the season. Maresca is under pressure to improve performances following an alarming dip in form, which has also seen Cole Palmer fail to score in his last 16 appearances.
United are a lowly 14th in the Premier League and lost 1-0 against Wolves on Sunday. It was their 15th league defeat of the campaign. Ruben Amorim’s side are almost certain to finish in the bottom half of the table, and a major overhaul of the Portuguese coach’s squad will take place over the summer.
Meanwhile, reigning champions United will face Chelsea in the women’s FA Cup final. The Red Devils beat Tottenham 4-0 to win last year’s competition and won their semi-final against Manchester City to book a place in this year’s showdown. Chelsea defeated Liverpool in the other semi-final.
