LONDON — Reigning Women’s Super League champions Chelsea finally got some points on the board on Sunday with a 2-0 win at home to Manchester City.
After a shock defeat in their opener against Liverpool, the Blues looked much sharper and decisive in the second week of the season. After taking the lead late in the first half through Fran Kirby, the hosts doubled their advantage with 10 minutes to go thanks to Maren Mjelde’s resounding penalty following a handball in the box.
– Report: Chelsea 2-0 Man City | WSL table | Upcoming meetings
The result gives Chelsea their first points of the 2022 season and, making it sweeter, it happened in front of more than 4,000 fans at their Kingsmeadow ground. Here are the key takeaways from a top-of-the-table clash early in the season and what it means for the pair of title hopefuls.
JUMP TO: Player Ratings | Better/worse performers | Highlights & Moments | Postgame Quotes | Key Statistics | Upcoming meetings
Quick reaction
1. Chelsea’s perseverance pays off
Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Watching Chelsea attack down the left flank through a rotating mix of Guro Reiten, Jessie Fleming and Sam Kerr, only for the ball to be brought back into the box and passed steadily back to Kirby, caused images of Einstein’s words to fall on deaf ears. But there’s another saying, much more related to football: if at first you don’t succeed… and eventually Chelsea did on your way to a comfortable victory.
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Chelsea had tried the ‘rush to the left and pass into the box’ move just 14 seconds from the start of the game and it almost netted a goal. Ten minutes later, it was Kerr chasing Steph Houghton down the left and unnecessarily passing the ball to Kirby wasting another glorious chance. Then, just before half-time, that same combination of attacking from the Man City right side and delivering the ball to the blue shirts in the box led to first goal when Kirby snagged the ball home.
Although the Blues used Lauren James on the right side of their attack, much of their deliberate advances continued to be weighted to the left, repeatedly trying to get the better of Man City’s Dutch debutant Kerstin Casparij . In the end, City’s luck ran out.
2. Defending champions still struggle to kill games
After Chelsea’s defeat at Liverpool, Emma Hayes said her side had to “be killers” and finish games when they had their chances, but the Blues were still guilty of leaving far too many chances begging at home. Despite being the better side for most of the game, Ann-Katrin Berger’s goal remained under constant threat when Manchester City could advance and, indeed, the Chelsea goalkeeper was busy throughout the game as City struggled to find their own killer instincts. .
Although another seven-goal thriller (like City were part of last week) might have been unlikely, and both goalkeepers will leave with another save for their best moments, it’s clear that both attacks have still much more to offer than they show. the game sheet. Luckily for them, it’s still early enough in the season for the proper adjustments to be made and normal service to resume.
3. Taylor in the hot seat after another loss to a rival
Having drawn criticism from fans and pundits last season after a series of poor performances that left Man City languishing closer to the foot of the table than anyone predicted, Gareth Taylor’s ability as a manager makes talk about her again.
While the Sky Blues struggled with injuries which impacted their results last season, this time around high player turnover is to blame. Most notably, the loss of Keira Walsh is keenly felt; for so long she has been the conductor, orchestrating the mid-park side while breaking up opposing attacks.
Two league games into the season, Man City are still struggling for fluidity with a new-look squad. It’s fair to say that it takes time for new partnerships to form and players to settle in, but there’s a distinct feeling that the manager is failing to get the best out of his players. With the team already knocked out of the Champions League, following a poor performance against Real Madrid, there is the inescapable question of how long he can continue with such austere performances and results.
Player ratings
Chelsea (3-4-3): Ann-Katrin Berger 7; Magdalena Eriksson 7, Kadeisha Buchanan 7, Millie Bright 7; Fran Kirby 8, Maren Mjelde 6, Erin Cuthbert 7, Jessie Fleming 8; Lauren James 7 years old, Guro Reiten 8 years old, Sam Kerr 8 years old.
Subtitles: Sophie Ingle 6 years old, Eve Perisset 6 years old, Niamh Charles 6 years old, Johanna Rytting 6 years old.
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ellie Roebuck 6; Kerstin Casparij 7, Steph Houghton 5, Alex Greenwood 6, Leila Ouahabi 5; Laura Coombs 6 years old, Laia Aleixandri 6 years old, Deyna Castellanos 7 years old; Chloe Kelly 6, Khadija Shaw 6, Lauren Hemp 7.
Subtitles: Hayley Raso 6, Vicky Losada 6, Julie Blakstad 6.
Best and Worst Performers
BEST: Guro Reiten, striker, Chelsea
A constant threat to Chelsea on their preferred left side.
Worst: Steph Houghton, DF, Man City
She seems much more error-prone in recent years and while that may have something to do with the wave of team changes surrounding her, she is only to blame for Sunday’s loss.
Highlights and Moments
Talk about beautiful, flowing movements. Chelsea’s first goal was about the back-to-front builder’s play and here it resulted in the easiest of finishes for Kirby.
The construction game, however! 😍👏#CFCW pic.twitter.com/ppsrVwXwMN
– Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) September 25, 2022
After the match, a few words for the sold-out Chelsea crowd from none other than Norway international Mjelde…
A message from @MarenMjelde yours. 🥰#CFCW pic.twitter.com/M9tFwXtgXR
– Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) September 25, 2022
After the game: What managers, players said
“We overplayed and kept creating problems for ourselves. We were playing at the back in every situation and gave City the best chance. We were a bit hesitant. Today was like the opener of the season – it looked like two teams that didn’t build momentum and sometimes that takes time. We were dominating in the second half, comfortable after a bad first half. There’s still transitions going on with us too, but maybe the collective direction of my group is further ahead than City. – Chelsea manager Emma Hayes
“It’s an assumption that we’re a new team with a lot of new players but I think we have good leadership and that comes in many forms… [Sunday’s performance] gives us something to build on. It’s not great, but that’s the way it is. We played well in the first half and we had good moments, good opportunities. I will take positives from today.” – Man City manager Gareth Taylor.
Key stats (via Opta)
– Man City managed 12 shots in the first half, the most Chelsea have faced in the first 45 minutes of a WSL game since September 2013 against Notts County (14). However, Fran Kirby scored with Chelsea’s only shot on target of the first half to give them a 1-0 lead.
– Chelsea have now won each of their last three WSL meetings with Manchester City, the first team to win three in a row against Man City in the competition.
Next
Chelsea: Emma Hayes’ side have just one game left before the international break and it’s a home fixture with West Ham on Wednesday in which they will be looking to maintain their positive momentum and climb a bit further in the game. ranking.
Man City: Gareth Taylor’s side are inactive until after the international break, after which they will face three WSL games in 14 days: a home fixture with Leicester City (October 16), a tricky trip to Tottenham (October 22 ) then the visit to Liverpool (October 30).
