Chelsea ended Barcelona’s five-year unbeaten run at home with a 1-0 victory in the Women’s Champions League semi-final first leg on Saturday.
And that doesn’t even begin to do Emma Hayes’ side justice after preventing Barcelona from taking a shot on goal in the first leg of their European encounter in Spain.
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Barcelona have averaged four goals per game in the Champions League this season and are unbeaten at home since February 2019 – but have been unable to break down Chelsea’s defence.
They have also scored 102 goals in 23 league matches, where they are nine points ahead of Real Madrid in the Liga F standings.
But their star-studded attack, including 2023 Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas and brilliant World Cup star Salma Paralluelo, failed to hit a single shot framed as they collapsed for the first time. home in five years.
Erin Cuthbert scored the winning goal in the first half at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys when she completed a good team move after Sjoeke Nusken gave her the ball just inside the area.
Putellas had a glorious chance to equalize in the dying seconds but cut his effort clear before falling to his knees in disbelief, meaning Barca have a task ahead to overturn the deficit in London.
And with Hayes hoping to go out on a high at Chelsea as she prepares to leave at the end of the season, winning the Champions League would be a huge success.
Having won six Women’s Super League titles and a strong chance of winning a seventh, the Champions League has always been one that has proven out of reach.
The Blues finished second in 2021 in the first final they managed to reach in Europe before losing 4-0 to Barcelona – and revenge is surely on their minds ahead of the second leg.
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At home, Hayes’ side have plenty to work on after their record-breaking victory and will meet on April 27, but will still need to be at the top of their game.
Barcelona have reached four of the last five finals of the competition, winning two and eliminating Chelsea in the semi-finals last year.
Chelsea settled with five defenders on Saturday, including Niamh Charles in an auxiliary centre-back role.
And it worked in stifling Barcelona’s attack, although there was a scary moment when Kadeisha Buchanan was penalized for handball in the penalty area.
However, VAR intervened and revealed there was an offside in the build-up and awarded a free kick the other way.
If Chelsea manage to hold on and reach the final next week, it will surely go down as one of Hayes’ best performances during his nine years at the club.
She will take charge of the United States women’s national team this summer while Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor has been named to replace her.
The French side are also competing in the Champions League and will face Paris Saint-Germain in the other semi-final, meaning the two clubs could meet in Bilbao in the final next month.
