Our return to domestic football after the international break sees us make the short journey to the north of the capital to face Arsenal. The Gunners occupy second place in the table ahead of kick-off, while we hold a three-point lead at the summit.

As the players reported back to Cobham after their national team exploits, Cuthbert took the time to discuss today’s fixture, our performances to date and the impact of young, up-and-coming talent who are thriving on the big stage.

Having joined Chelsea at a young age, Cuthbert knows what it takes to stake a claim in the side. She expressed particular praise for 20-year-old forward Aggie Beever-Jones, who has netted five goals in as many WSL games and was nominated for the WSL Player of the Month award for November.

‘I’ve been really impressed with Aggie especially this season. When I think back to when I was a young player at Chelsea, it was all about taking the opportunities Emma (Hayes) gave me. You’d have to bide your time and have a look at what the more experienced players were doing.

‘I wanted to emulate that and whenever I got an opportunity on the pitch, I would make sure I took it. Aggie is doing exactly that. She’s giving Emma a hard decision to make. That’s what Emma wants, that’s what Aggie wants and that’s what the team wants.

‘Everyone is pushing each other, it doesn’t matter your age. You are here to compete, Aggie has done great so far this season and we’re going to need her.’

Prior to the international break, we put together a great run of form with four league victories on the bounce to maintain our unbeaten start to the campaign. Cuthbert is seeing progression in our performances each week and believes time for everyone to settle after a busy summer has been vital.

‘We’ve progressed a lot. It was a bit-part pre-season with players at the World Cup so everyone was coming in at different times. Now the dust has settled and the games have been happening, Emma’s had time to implement what she wants to do this season and bed the new players in.

‘Our performances have been growing week on week. We’ve made it hard for teams, especially leading up to the last international break where we were on a great run of form.’

We travel to the Emirates looking to continue the strong start to our title defence we have conjured since October. Cuthbert says the team need to get back into Chelsea mode quickly and focus on ensuring we get the finer details right in our preparations.

‘It’s about being professional. Last international break we had one less day recovery and we produced a great performance at Aston Villa. Switching our heads onto Chelsea as soon as we can and getting all the details right before the game on Sunday.

‘It’s a really tough opponent, they’ve picked up a good run of form themselves. It’s a top of the table clash and everybody wants to win. There can only be one winner on Sunday and we have to make sure we get everything right to make sure that is us.’

On Friday, the 25-year-old celebrated her seven-year anniversary with the club. It’s a milestone that makes her extremely proud when she looks back on the progress and contributions she has made during her Blues career.

‘It makes me super happy. I’m beaming with pride that I’ve been lucky enough to be here for seven years at such a big club. I feel I’m one of the more established players in the squad. I came from the bottom. I came when I was a young player, building up my minutes and taking everything I’ve got.

‘The squad has grown and evolved so much. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think it was a challenge and it was competitive because every year we bring in new players to compete. It’s up to me to raise my game year-on-year. I’m really enjoying it here and let’s hope the good times continue.’