LONDON — Reigning women’s super League champions, Chelsea, lastly obtained some factors on the board Sunday with a 2-zero win at dwelling to Manchester metropolis.
After a shock defeat of their season opener in opposition to Liverpool, the Blues seemed a lot sharper and decisive in week two of the season. Having taken the lead late inside the major half by way of Fran Kirby, the hosts doubled their benefit 10 minutes from time as a consequence of of Maren Mjelde‘s thumping penalty following a handball inside the discipline.
– Report: Chelsea 2-zero Man metropolis | WSL desk | Upcoming fixtures
The consequence affords Chelsea their first factors of the 2022 season and, making it sweeter, it occurred in entrance of over 4,000 followers at their Kingsmeadow dwelling floor. listed beneath are the foremost takeaways from an early season extreme of the desk conflict and what it means for the pair of title hopefuls.
leap TO: participant rankings | biggest/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | submit-match quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures
speedy response
1. Chelsea’s persistence finally pays off
Albert Einstein is usually quoted as saying, “madness is doing the identical factor repeatedly and anticipating completely different outcomes.” Watching Chelsea assault down the left flank by way of a rotating combination of Guro Reiten, Jessie Fleming and Sam Kerr, solely for the ball to be in the discount of into the discipline and routinely handed alongside as quickly as extra to Kirby, precipitated photographs of Einstein’s phrases having fallen on deaf ears. however there’s one other saying, methodology extra germane to soccer: if at first you do not succeed… and finally, Chelsea did on their method to a cosy win.
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Chelsea had tried the “dash up the left and cross into the discipline” transfer simply 14 seconds into the match and it virtually yielded a purpose. Ten minutes later, it was Kerr hounding Steph Houghton on the left and unnecessarily passing the ball to Kirby that squandered one other great probability. Then, simply earlier than half-time, that very identical combination of attacking Man metropolis’s proper facet and handing the ball off to the blue shirts inside the discipline did finish in the major purpose when Kirby slotted the ball dwelling.
although the Blues did use Lauren James on the exact facet of their assault, rather a lot of their purposeful advances continued to be weighted in the direction of the left, repeatedly making an try to get the greater of Man metropolis’s Dutch debutante, Kerstin Casparij. inside the prolonged time period, metropolis’s luck ran out.
2. Reigning champions are nonetheless struggling to kill off video games
After Chelsea’s defeat away to Liverpool, Emma Hayes spoke of her workforce needing to “be killers” and finish video games after that they had their probabilities, but the Blues have been nonetheless responsible of letting far too many probabilities go begging at dwelling. regardless of being the greater workforce going forward for virtually all of the sport, Ann-Katrin Berger‘s purpose remained underneath a persevering with menace when Manchester metropolis may get forward and certainly, Chelsea’s shot-stopper was stored busy all by way of as metropolis struggled to get your hands on their very personal killer instinct.
although one other seven-purpose thriller (as metropolis have been an factor of final week) might have been unlikely, and each goalkeepers is most probably leaving with one other save for his or her spotlight reels, it is clear each assaults nonetheless have methodology extra to current than they’re displaying on the scoresheet. fortunate for them, it is nonetheless early enough inside the season for the relevant adjustments to be made and for regular service to renew.
three. Taylor inside the new seat after one other defeat to a rival
Having drawn criticism from followers and pundits final season after a string of poor performances that left Man metropolis languishing nearer to the foot of the desk than anyone would have predicted, Gareth Taylor’s means as their supervisor is as quickly as as quickly as extra being talked about.
whereas the Sky Blues had struggled with accidents that impacted their outcomes final season, this time throughout the extreme turnover of gamers is responsible. Most notably, the dearth of Keira Walsh is keenly felt; for therefore prolonged, she was the conductor, orchestrating the facet from the center of the park whereas additionally breaking aside opposing assaults.
Two league video games into the season, Man metropolis are nonetheless struggling for fluency with a mannequin new-look workforce. it is reliable to say that it takes time for mannequin new partnerships to be shaped and gamers to settle, but there is a particular feeling that the supervisor is failing to get the proper from his gamers. With the workforce already eradicated from the Champions League, following a poor displaying in opposition to exact Madrid, there may be the unavoidable question of how prolonged he can go on with the performances and outcomes as dour as they’re.
participant rankings
Chelsea (three-4-three): Ann-Katrin Berger 7; Magdalena Eriksson 7, Kadeisha Buchanan 7, Millie brilliant 7; Fran Kirby eight, Maren Mjelde 6, Erin Cuthbert 7, Jessie Fleming eight; Lauren James 7, Guro Reiten eight, Sam Kerr eight.
Subs: Sophie Ingle 6, Eve Perisset 6, Niamh Charles 6, Johanna Rytting 6.
Man metropolis (4-three-three): Ellie Roebuck 6; Kerstin Casparij 7, Steph Houghton 5, Alex Greenwood 6, Leila Ouahabi 5; Laura Coombs 6, Laia Aleixandri 6, Deyna Castellanos 7; Chloe Kelly 6, Khadija Shaw 6, Lauren Hemp 7.
Subs: Hayley Raso 6, Vicky Losada 6, Julie Blakstad 6.
biggest and worst performers
biggest: Guro Reiten, FW, Chelsea
a persevering with menace for Chelsea up their favoured left facet.
WORST: Steph Houghton, DF, Man metropolis
She seems methodology extra error-inclined recently and whereas it might have one factor to do with the flurry of adjustments inside the workforce spherical her, she’s solely obtained herself responsible in Sunday’s defeat.
Highlights and notable moments
discuss about pretty, flowing strikes. Chelsea’s opening purpose was all regarding the construct-up play from again to entrance and right here, it resulted inside the greater of finishes for Kirby.
The construct-up play, although! 😍👏#CFCW pic.twitter.com/ppsrVwXwMN
— Chelsea FC women (@ChelseaFCW) September 25, 2022
After the sport, a quantity of phrases for the supplied-out Chelsea dwelling crowd from none besides for Norway worldwide Mjelde…
A message from @MarenMjelde to you. 🥰#CFCW pic.twitter.com/M9tFwXtgXR
— Chelsea FC women (@ChelseaFCW) September 25, 2022
After the match: What the managers, gamers mentioned
“We overplayed and stored having fun with ourselves into trouble. We have been having fun with out from the again in every situation and gave metropolis the proper probabilities. We have been a bit tentative. in the present day was simply like the season opener — it gave the impression of two teams which have not obtained any momentum and typically that takes time. We have been dominating by the second half, snug after a poor first half. There are nonetheless transitions occurring with us too however presumably the collective management in my group is extra forward than metropolis.” – Chelsea supervisor Emma Hayes
“it is an assumption that we’re a mannequin new workforce with pretty a quantity of latest gamers however i really feel we have gotten good management and it is accessible in lots of kinds… [Sunday’s performance] affords us one factor to assemble on. it is not good, however it absolutely’s what it is. We performed properly first half and had good moments, good alternatives. i am going to take positives from in the present day.” — Man metropolis coach Gareth Taylor.
Key stats (by way of Opta)
– Man metropolis had 12 photographs inside the major half, basically the most Chelsea have confronted inside the opening forty five minutes of an WSL recreation since September 2013 vs. Notts County (14). nonetheless, Fran Kirby scored with Chelsea’s solely shot heading in the right direction of the major half to current them a 1-zero lead.
– Chelsea have now gained every of their final three WSL conferences with Manchester metropolis, the major facet ever to win three in a row in opposition to Man metropolis inside the rivals.
Up subsequent
Chelsea: Emma Hayes’ facet solely have but one extra recreation earlier than the worldwide break and it is a dwelling date with West Ham on Wednesday by way of which they’re going to look to maintain their optimistic momentum going and climb the desk a bit extra.
Man metropolis: Gareth Taylor’s facet are idle till after the worldwide break, after which they’re going to face three WSL video games in 14 days: a dwelling date with Leicester metropolis (Oct. sixteen), a troublesome journey to Tottenham (Oct. 22) after which the go to of Liverpool (Oct. 30).
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