With the Women’s Super League reaching the tail end of the season, Manchester City banked a huge three points against title rivals Chelsea.
With the reigning champions without the influence of Millie Bright in defence, City were able to net two goals to take them level on points with league leaders Manchester United.
City and Chelsea met earlier in the season, with the latter taking all three points at Kingsmeadow. Across 15 previous encounters, Gareth Taylor’s side managed just one win, with six other meetings ending in a draw.
Starting XIs
Manchester City
Roebuck; Aleixandri, Greenwood, Houghton (c), Coombs, Kelly, Hemp (Blakstad ’78), Angeldahl, Morgan, Shaw, Hasegawa
Chelsea
Berger; Ingle (Charles ’36), Carter, Leupolz, James (Kaneryd ’36) , Reiten, Eriksson, Mjelde ( Cankovic ’67), Kerr, Cuthbert (Fleming ’80), Buchanan
Embed from Getty ImagesChelsea vs Man City — How it went
With huge stakes resting on the game, there was always going to be the promise of drama.
From the off, there were several good chances for both sides but it took until the 22nd minute for the deadlock to be broken. An absolute rocket from 25 yards out saw Filippa Angeldahl give the hosts the lead after a strong spell of play from City.
Just eight minutes later, Lauren Hemp doubled the Sky Blues’ advantage. The England international planted the ball in the top corner of the Chelsea net, leaving Ann-Katrin Berger unable to prevent the Hemp from bagging her seventh goal of the season.
Shortly after the second goal, Emma Hayes made two early substitutions in a bid to prevent any further damage.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe second half brought about a far more lively Chelsea team. Applying more pressure to their opposition, the visitors presented an increasing challenge.
Combined with decreasing energy levels from the hosts, the game became far more open as the second half drew on. However, an injury to Erin Cuthbert saw the Scottish international leave the pitch after a period of treatment following a collision.
Ultimately an outstanding defensive performance from the Sky Blues saw them take all three points and leapfrog into second in the table.
The official attendance of the match was 5,222.
Manchester City will next travel to face league rivals Arsenal whilst Chelsea will host Lyon in the Champions league.
Embed from Getty ImagesStand out performances
Man City’s whole squad executed an outstanding defensive display. Their defensive line however was exceptional throughout the 90 minutes. Laia Aleixandri was faultless throughout the first half, intercepting several key passes.
Steph Houghton and Alex Greenwood pulled off a masterclass, with the City captain proving that even after almost 10 years with the club, the skipper is still a vital member of Taylor’s squad.
