Chelsea made their first appearance in a League Cup final having been a losing semi-finalist at the hands of Manchester City in each of the last two seasons.

The quarter-finals saw Arsenal drawn at home to Reading as their strong defensive record continued, seeing off the midtable WSL side 1–0 thanks to a late Kim Little strike.

The semi-final matched Arsenal against defending League Cup champions and fellow WSL title-challengers Manchester City.

Chelsea topped their League Cup Group for the third consecutive season, and, like Arsenal, progressed with 13 points after winning four of the five games and drawing a fifth before losing the penalty shootout.

In the quarter-finals, Chelsea were drawn at home to Aston Villa, one of two Championship teams to progress to the knockout stage.