- The huge WSL encounter at Stamford Bridge was delayed by 30 minutes
- Arsenal had to change socks after bringing the wrong colour to the game
- I fancy Man United on Sunday… something has to give for Jurgen’s juggernaut – It’s All Kicking off podcast
Chelsea’s top-of-the-table clash with Arsenal was delayed by 30 minutes after the Gunners brought the wrong colour socks.
The showdown at Stamford Bridge was due to start at 7pm but it was announced there would be a short delay due to a kit clash minutes before the scheduled kick-off time.
Arsenal are understood to have brought white socks instead of red, which resulted in a clash with Chelsea.
Both teams white socks as part of their home kits, but with Chelsea hosts, Arsenal were forced to change colours just minutes before kick off.
The Gunners eventually settled the dispute by wearing Chelsea’s away socks, but had to tape over the Nike logo. The Gunners confirmed they have paid for the socks themselves.
Arsenal are sponsored by Nike’s rivals Adidas, so are unable to show the logo of Chelsea’s kit manufacturer.
Chelsea wore blue socks when they played at the Emirates in December.
As well as teams not being allowed to wear the same coloured shirts, shorts and socks must also be different.
Both teams were forced to come back out for a second warm-up due to the delay.
The game eventually kicked off at 7.30pm, half an hour after the scheduled start time.
Arsenal women’s official X account refused to reveal the exact cause of the delay but explained the match had been delayed due to a ‘kit issue’.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s official social media account posted a cryptic tweet, adding: ‘Ready to work our socks off.’
Ian Wright was amongst the high-profile names that hit out at the gaffe as he fumed over the delay as thousands of supporters sat waiting for the game to begin.
The Arsenal men’s legend described the saga as ’embarrassing’, posting on his X profile: ‘Embarrassing this. Ridiculous.’ in relation to the delay.
Furious supporters also fumed at the incident with one user posting online: ‘Quite agree. The biggest WSL match in the season and someone in the kit department messed up so badly. How on earth could that have happened?’
Another similar post stated: ‘Never in a million years would I expect something like socks to be a big deal.’
The delay did little to help Arsenal’s preparation as they conceded three goals against their cross-city rivals in the opening 30 minutes of the match.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
