LONDON — Reigning Ladies’s Tremendous League champions, Chelsea, lastly acquired some factors on the board Sunday with a 2-0 win at dwelling to Manchester Metropolis.
After a shock defeat of their season opener in opposition to Liverpool, the Blues regarded a lot sharper and decisive in week two of the season. Having taken the lead late within the first half by means of Fran Kirby, the hosts doubled their benefit 10 minutes from time because of Maren Mjelde‘s thumping penalty following a handball within the field.
– Report: Chelsea 2-0 Man Metropolis | WSL desk | Upcoming fixtures
The end result provides 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 here are the foremost takeaways from an early season high of the desk conflict and what it means for the pair of title hopefuls.
JUMP TO: Participant scores | Finest/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Publish-match quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures
Fast Response
1. Chelsea’s persistence finally pays off
Albert Einstein is usually quoted as saying, “Madness is doing the identical factor again and again and anticipating completely different outcomes.” Watching Chelsea assault down the left flank by means of a rotating mixture of Guro Reiten, Jessie Fleming and Sam Kerr, just for the ball to be in the reduction of into the field and routinely handed alongside once more to Kirby, caused pictures of Einstein’s phrases having fallen on deaf ears. However there’s one other saying, way more germane to soccer: if at first you do not succeed… and finally, Chelsea did on their strategy to a cushty win.
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Chelsea had tried the “sprint up the left and move into the field” transfer simply 14 seconds into the match and it almost yielded a aim. Ten minutes later, it was Kerr hounding Steph Houghton on the left and unnecessarily passing the ball to Kirby that squandered one other wonderful probability. Then, simply earlier than half-time, that very same mixture of attacking Man Metropolis’s proper aspect and handing the ball off to the blue shirts within the field did result in the primary aim when Kirby slotted the ball dwelling.
Though the Blues did use Lauren James on the precise aspect of their assault, a lot of their purposeful advances continued to be weighted in direction of the left, repeatedly making an attempt to get the higher of Man Metropolis’s Dutch debutante, Kerstin Casparij. In the long run, 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 staff needing to “be killers” and end video games once they had their possibilities, but the Blues have been nonetheless responsible of letting far too many possibilities go begging at dwelling. Regardless of being the higher staff going ahead for almost all of the sport, Ann-Katrin Berger‘s aim remained below a relentless risk when Manchester Metropolis might get ahead and certainly, Chelsea’s shot-stopper was stored busy all through as Metropolis struggled to search out their very own killer intuition.
Though one other seven-goal thriller (as Metropolis have been a part of final week) might need been unlikely, and each goalkeepers will likely be leaving with one other save for his or her spotlight reels, it is clear each assaults nonetheless have way more to supply than they’re displaying on the scoresheet. Fortunate for them, it is nonetheless early sufficient within the season for the suitable changes to be made and for regular service to renew.
3. Taylor within the sizzling 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 anybody would have predicted, Gareth Taylor’s means as their supervisor is as soon as once more being talked about.
Whereas the Sky Blues had struggled with accidents that impacted their outcomes final season, this time across the excessive turnover of gamers is accountable. Most notably, the lack of Keira Walsh is keenly felt; for therefore lengthy, she was the conductor, orchestrating the aspect from the center of the park whereas additionally breaking apart opposing assaults.
Two league video games into the season, Man Metropolis are nonetheless struggling for fluency with a new-look staff. It is honest to say that it takes time for brand new partnerships to be fashioned and gamers to settle, but there is a distinct feeling that the supervisor is failing to get the very best from his gamers. With the staff already eradicated from the Champions League, following a poor displaying in opposition to Actual Madrid, there may be the unavoidable query of how lengthy he can go on with the performances and outcomes as dour as they’re.
Participant scores
Chelsea (3-4-3): Ann-Katrin Berger 7; Magdalena Eriksson 7, Kadeisha Buchanan 7, Millie Vivid 7; Fran Kirby 8, Maren Mjelde 6, Erin Cuthbert 7, Jessie Fleming 8; Lauren James 7, Guro Reiten 8, Sam Kerr 8.
Subs: Sophie Ingle 6, Eve Perisset 6, Niamh Charles 6, Johanna Rytting 6.
Man Metropolis (4-3-3): 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.
Finest and worst performers
BEST: Guro Reiten, FW, Chelsea
A continuing risk for Chelsea up their favoured left aspect.
WORST: Steph Houghton, DF, Man Metropolis
She appears way more error-prone in recent times and whereas it might need one thing to do with the flurry of adjustments within the staff round her, she’s solely acquired herself accountable in Sunday’s defeat.
Highlights and notable moments
Discuss beautiful, flowing strikes. Chelsea’s opening aim was all in regards to the build-up play from again to entrance and right here, it resulted within the best of finishes for Kirby.
The build-up play, although! 😍👏#CFCW pic.twitter.com/ppsrVwXwMN
— Chelsea FC Ladies (@ChelseaFCW) September 25, 2022
After the sport, just a few phrases for the sold-out Chelsea dwelling crowd from none apart from Norway worldwide Mjelde…
A message from @MarenMjelde to you. 🥰#CFCW pic.twitter.com/M9tFwXtgXR
— Chelsea FC Ladies (@ChelseaFCW) September 25, 2022
After the match: What the managers, gamers mentioned
“We overplayed and stored taking part in ourselves into bother. We have been taking part in out from the again in each state of affairs and gave Metropolis the very best possibilities. We have been a bit tentative. As we speak was just like the season opener — it regarded like two groups that have not acquired any momentum and typically that takes time. We have been dominating by the second half, comfy after a poor first half. There are nonetheless transitions taking place with us too however possibly the collective management in my group is additional forward than Metropolis.” – Chelsea supervisor Emma Hayes
“It is an assumption that we’re a brand new staff with lots of new gamers however I feel we have now good management and it is available in many types… [Sunday’s performance] provides us one thing to construct on. It is not nice, however it’s what it’s. We performed nicely first half and had good moments, good alternatives. I’ll take positives from at the moment.” — Man Metropolis coach Gareth Taylor.
Key stats (through Opta)
– Man Metropolis had 12 pictures within the first half, essentially the most Chelsea have confronted within the opening 45 minutes of an WSL sport since September 2013 vs. Notts County (14). Nevertheless, Fran Kirby scored with Chelsea’s solely shot on course of the primary half to offer them a 1-0 lead.
– Chelsea have now gained every of their final three WSL conferences with Manchester Metropolis, the primary aspect ever to win three in a row in opposition to Man Metropolis within the competitors.
Up subsequent
Chelsea: Emma Hayes’ aspect solely have another sport earlier than the worldwide break and it is a dwelling date with West Ham on Wednesday wherein they’re going to look to maintain their constructive momentum going and climb the desk a bit extra.
Man Metropolis: Gareth Taylor’s aspect are idle till after the worldwide break, after which they’re going to face three WSL video games in 14 days: a house date with Leicester Metropolis (Oct. 16), a difficult journey to Tottenham (Oct. 22) after which the go to of Liverpool (Oct. 30).
