Thanks to the fate of football, there was only going to be one team the Ladies could be certain of drawing in the League Cup.

Leeds expelled the Blues from the competition last year, so it felt inevitable we would face the northerners at some point in the cup this season, and, as it happens, it only took until our second outing in the competition before we would face our rivals.

But after an impressive start to the league campaign, and a convincing 4-0 win over Barnet in the first round of the League Cup, this season's odds seemed to be dipping in favour of Chelsea.

Add to that the recent international duty most of the Blues had taken part in, duties that saw the England senior team reach the 2009 European Championships, and Chelsea were looking match sharp and raring to get back into domestic football.

And so it was the Blues lined up at Imber Court against eighth-place Leeds on Sunday, with victory on the team's mind.

But as any football fan should have expected, the cup clash was not a predictable game. Instead Leeds came out fighting, and despite losing the lead to an early own-goal, battled back from a one-goal deficit twice, in both halves, to even the scores.

After 90 minutes of play and several injuries, including Leeds captain Jess Wright severing her cruciate ligament, the game was tied at 2-2, and it came down to Chelsea's highest scorer to secure the Blues a win during extra time.

Eniola Aluko struck a half volley, just inside the box, only four minutes into the first period of extra time, almost smashing the net in the process and building on Brooke Chaplen's earlier strike.

An extra-time-extravaganza followed, with Aluko finding two more chances on goal, while Leeds tried to battle back once more and force a penalty shoot-out. But a resilient Chelsea saw the half hour out to secure a place in the next round of the competition and end Leeds' cup run.

Next the Ladies will travel to Birmingham on Sunday to face the only side that have held Chelsea to a draw this season.

Originally planned as a match against Nottingham Forest, Sunday's game has been rearranged to see the Ladies line up against Birmingham City for our second meeting in the league this season.

The last time the two teams met, back in August at Imber Court, the resulting game saw six goals and Birmingham come back from a two-goal deficit in the second half.

'Away matches are tough in this league, and Birmingham are no exception,' said Lorrie Fair, Chelsea Ladies assistant coach.

'They beat Watford in their last match, a very physical side, and although they lost at Arsenal, they managed to score twice against one of the best teams in the league.

'They will certainly be up for this match and it will take our best effort on Sunday to earn three points,' she added.

Chelsea currently preside second the table with 16 points from six games, while Arsenal sit top with 21 points.

The Gunners have played one more game than the Blues, but Sunday's fixture will be an important three points to keep Chelsea in second place, one point ahead of Everton, who are third, but with a game in hand.

For more information on the Ladies team visit the Chelsea Ladies section of the site.