Pride Park pitch ‘not fit’ for League Cup final

After Chelsea defeated Manchester City to win the Women’s League Cup there, Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert claimed the pitch at Derby County’s Pride Park was “not fit for a final.”

With a 2-1 victory, the Women’s Super League leaders maintained their quest for a historic quadruple.

The Championship side’s stadium’s pitch was playable but “cut up” and “bobbly,” and Scotland international Cuthbert was one of the pundits and players who was unsatisfied after the game.

She told BBC One, “I don’t believe this surface was appropriate for a final.” “We didn’t play at our best, we just hung in there.”

Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea’s manager, won her first trophy in the sport’s inaugural season, but she was unhappy with the circumstances and promised to avoid it in a men’s final, which will take place on Sunday at Wembley.

The 44-year-old said, “It is shame to have this pitch for a final, especially when you expect in England to have the best groundsmen and pitches in the world.”

The women’s League Cup final has no permanent home, with organizers aiming to bring it to various locations throughout the nation, unlike the men’s League Cup final.

In recent years, the final has been played at various stadiums, with the 2023 final taking place at Selhurst Park and the previous year’s final taking place at Wolves’ Molineux.

The only stadium that hosted the Women’s League Cup final twice, both in 2014 and 2018, is Adams Park, home of the Wycombe Wanderers.

The host clubs must identify locations that can provide a high standard during the winter months to make sure the pitch is in good condition.

Match officials at Pride Park didn’t report any problems during their pre-game checks.

The largest stadium to ever host a Women’s League Cup final, Pride Park, has a capacity of 32, 944 seats.

Millie Bright, the manager of Chelsea, said the players were “really lucky” to play in such a venue, but they also acknowledged the pitch’s inadequate for a major final.

Although the stadium is fantastic, she said when the final is played, you can’t expect much more from the pitch.

It’s disappointing, it’s a massive game, a massive cup final, and I’m guessing it didn’t look particularly good on television either. Additionally, it slightly disrupts the game.

With two Champions League quarter-final ties and a WSL meeting in hand, the two teams played their first four games together on Saturday.

After Gareth Taylor was fired on Monday, interim manager Nick Cushing acknowledged the pitch’s condition.

He said, “I would like the pitch to be a little bit better.” It is what it is, exactly.

The pitch, according to former England players Rachel Brown-Finnis, Fara Williams, and Ellen White, played a significant role in the type of football that could be played.

Williams claimed that the pitch is “cut up really,” and that there is a “real bobble” on it.

It’s not of the high caliber we want to see in football.

Chelsea, however, handled the circumstances. Chelsea made the most of the pitch, as we discussed it. They “adapted” rather than “playing” attractive football.

Brown-Finnis, a former goalkeeper, said: “The pitch looks pretty bad and is not befitting for a Women’s League Cup final.

Dawn: Given that the men’s game is tomorrow at Wembley, why is the league cup final being played on such a poor pitch?

Steve: Yes, it’s not a great pitch, but championship players and lower league teams have to deal with those kinds of things constantly. Not every club has the resources to keep Premier League-quality pitches.

Alex: Wembley should host the cup finals if we want to promote the women’s game the same way we should the men’s game, right? I say this without being a woman’s player.