49 min: Already, the caginess of the first half is in evidence. It is going to take something special to split these two.

47 min: Bit of afters from Mjelde and Stanway as they clash over a lost cause by the touchline. A flicker of simmering aggression between them.

46 min: City begin with a period of possession, and look to be trying to force the issue.

No changes at half-time for either team.

A very even game, with both teams defending well, though the best chance fell to City when Berger and her Chelsea defence got in a mess. Extra time seems very likely.

45 min: Fran Kirby has a chance, and space, in the last minute of the first half. She didn’t make the best of that. There will be a minute of added time.

44 min: City attack down the right before Wullaert gets a shot in, but Berger does well to close off the danger.

42 min: Chelsea fans have travelled in reasonable numbers to this one, and especially when big brother is at Anfield today.

41 min: More City ref rage when Stokes is penalised for what looks a decent challenge on Cuthbert.

39 min: City complain when Stanway, clearly onside, is called offside. The wagging finger won’t change the officials’ minds, even if Stanway was correct.

37 min: Even closer! Chelsea get in a terrible mess, and Parris has an open net to aim for, though from a tight angle, which she fails to bisect. Goalkeeper Berger was neither coming nor going.

36 min: Close! Stanway gets on the end of a rapid passing move, makes time and space and fizzes a shot wide of the post. That’s as close as we have come.

35 min: The wind, which is strong, is not helping the flow of the game. Pippin Neville is in the stand, accompanied as usual by son Harvey.

33 min: City now sitting deep, and not really forcing the issue. Both teams look to be relying on individual flashes to win this.

31 min: Another Chelsea corner, which are now mounting up in numbers. It came to Spence, but she cannot control it. The ball is hacked away by City’s defence.

30 min: City do not attack with the same pace as their opponents; their build-up play is more deliberate.

28 min: Chelsea corner, Andersson takes but Weir knocks it behind. On the second attempt, the ball comes out to Carney, whose shot goes wildly wide. Worth a go, though.

27 min: The good news for Manchester City is that their men’s team escaped a late scare at Crystal Palace to ride out 3-1 winners…

26 min: A case in point there. Karen Carney got away down the left, but ended up crowded out by City’s defence.

25 min: This is a tight affair. It feels like a single goal can win this one. And both are capable of that, though both are strong in defence.

23 min: Cuthbert down the right wing forges on for Chelsea but some great defending from Stokes closes off any danger.

21 min: Spence, though, fires in a shot on one of those Chelsea counters. Bardsley is equal to the task.

20 min: City have this under control and Emma Hayes, the Chelsea manager, does not look happy on the sidelines. She might have been unhappier still if Berger, the goalkeeper, had not got away with a kicking error.

18 min: City have a free-kick in a decent position. Difficult to keep down for the kicker, tougher for the goalkeeper perhaps, but there is no save to make as the chip is opted for. Mjelde clears the danger.

17 min: Another Chelsea attack is stopped by a Beattie block…then Sophie Ingle is booked for a late foul on Jill Scott, who in truth had lost control of the ball.

15 min: Cuthbert down the wing for Chelsea, but Jill Scott gets the ball clear. Chelsea have ridden out their own storm and are now upping the ante.

14 min: Chelsea try to pick things up after Jill Scott’s header is saved. They go on the counter. Bachman releases Kirby, whose shot is saved by Bardsley. That showed their menace in attack.

11 min: Weir, coming in from the flank, fires a shot that Mjelde has to get in the way of. Chelsea sitting back deep.

10 min: City stepping up now. Some good signs from them. Parris scuttles down the right, but her cross is cleared. Then on the opposite side, Stanway pings in a cross. Chelsea now under the cosh.

8 min: It’s a cold day up in Manchester…Nikita Parris gets on the end of a Stanway pass, pivots and shoots, but the shot is not hard enough. Berger collects with some comfort.

6 min: City yet to get in much of a groove, though Chelsea have lost that early dominance a tad. These are two very evenly matched teams.

4 min: Manchester City, having been pinned back, gain some territory at last, but lose the ball quickly. Chelsea decide to go long, but Bachmann cannot get on the end of it.

2 min: Chelsea have a free-kick, and captain Karen Carney launches it towards Drew Spence, but the ball is cleared. Chelsea very much pushing on from the get-go. Fran Cuthbert soon forces a save.

The huddles are done. The stands are not as full as might be expected at the Etihad’s Academy Stadium. The men’s team are in action at Palace, let us recall, and currently 2-0 up

Ok, after all that excitement, on with the big game. A reminder that City have not lost a domestic game for 11 months. That shows the standards Arsenal have set in the WSL.

Lauren Bruton, of Reading, has just missed a penalty that reminded of John Terry in Moscow but three times slower….but Reading lead 3-2….

From Saturday’s big paper, Simon Hattenstone’s interview with England manager Pippin Neville.

The other game, between Reading and West Ham, has ten minutes left to play in extra-time. Penalties are looming.

Kevin McKenna on Scotland’s historic defeat of Brazil.

Here’s the Manchester City team.

Reading and West Ham have gone to extra time in the other game, with the scores locked at 1-1, and Reading missed a late penalty.

With the greatest of respect to West Ham and Reading, playing in the other semi-final, the winner of this game can expect to lift this season’s trophy. For Chelsea, the holders, there is the chance to close off one half of last season’s domestic double, with their title challenge having been surrendered, though they are in the Champions League semis, which would appear to be the priority. For City, there is a chance of a treble this season, with them being very much in the title race, and face Arsenal on the last day for what may well be a a decider. They have already collected the Continental Tyres Cup by winning 4-2 on penalties against Arsenal. They also won this trophy in 2017.

So, plenty on the table for two evenly matched teams. Manchester City, as home team, and with a decent recent record against Chelsea, have to be favourites, though did lose this match at the semi-final stage last year. And this is the one they want, according to Keira Walsh, who spoke to the BBC this week.

She said: “The league is in Arsenal’s hands now. We have to wait for Arsenal to slip up and they’re a top team so we’re not holding out for that. We’re concentrating on what we can do. The FA Cup is the one we’re all going to focus on at the minute. This is the trophy that we’ve spoken about trying to bring back to Manchester.”