Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City: The Blues secure their first WSL win of the season

Chelsea lost 2-1 to Liverpool in the first game of the Women’s Super League season

Chelsea bounced back from their first-day defeat with a win over rivals Manchester City, who are winless this season.

Fran Kirby hit Guro Reit’s low cross after a quick counterattack by Chelsea to score the opener, much to the delight of a packed Kingsmeadow.

City had the defending champion better for big spells, but some sloppy defense let them down.

Maren Mjelde’s massive free kick after a handball brought the final blow.

England midfielder Kirby has been involved in 34 goals, scoring 21 goals and providing 13 assists in her last 20 WSL games.

Fan favorite Kirby will no doubt once again have impressed England coach Sarina Wiegman, who was watching from the stands, but fellow Lionesses Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly struggled to assert themselves as many of City’s chances came through Khadija Shaw.

Striker Shaw was lively, shooting from long range and maintaining her dominance in the air, while Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, on duty for the first time since being treated for a recurrence of thyroid cancer, was kept on her toes by Laura Coombs .

Also, Chelsea’s Lauren James could have caught the eye of Wiegman after many predicted she would be the star of the season.

City dominated for most of the first half, but a messy defense allowed Kirby to score the opener with the goal timing just before the break, injuring the visitors.

In the second half it was Chelsea who got the upper hand – James drove into the box just behind the halfway line and saw Ellie Roebuck save her shot well, while Kirby had a similar chance to double the lead but shot over the bar .

Leila Ouahabi’s handball that led to the penalty might have been soft, but it was a just reward for Chelsea’s second-half dominance.

The hosts are now unbeaten in 11 WSL games against City, winning five and drawing six.

Chelsea show why they are defending champions

After Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat by newly promoted Liverpool in the season opener, manager Emma Hayes said her side “couldn’t hit a barn door”.

They missed another chance in the first half. Sam Kerr should have scored in the first minute, but Kirby’s cut-back just missed the goal.

Then, when Kerr latched Steph Houghton’s loose pass back to Roebuck, it looked like Chelsea were sure to break the deadlock. The chance was missed, however, when Kerr passed to Kirby instead of shooting herself and the England midfielder failed to put a shot away.

When Kirby scored, it was largely against the flow of play. City had played mostly in Chelsea’s half for the last 10 minutes and had 12 shots on their opponents’ five, but their clinical passing and speed at the break mean you can never rule them out of a game.

lineups

Chelsea women

formation 3-4-1-2

30Berger

4Bright26Buchanan16Ericsson

17fleming22Cuthbert18report14kirby

11Ride

20Kerr10James

• 30Berger
• 4Bright
• 26Buchanan
• 16Ericsson
• 17flemingReplaced byEnglishat 65′protocol
• 22Cuthbert
• 18reportReplaced byHe would have diedat 86′protocol
• 14kirby
• 11RideReplaced byKarlat 87′protocol
• 20Kerr
• 10JamesReplaced byride Kanerydat 90+1′protocol

substitute

• 1Musovic
• 5English
• 7carter
• 9England
• 13Svitkova
• fifteenHe would have died
• 19ride Kaneryd
• 21Karl
• 28Cankovic

Man City women

formation 4-3-3

1roebuck

2Casparij6Houghton5green woodfifteenOuahabi

10Castellanos4alexandri7coombs

9Kelly21show11hemp

• 1roebuck
• 2Casparij
• 6Houghton
• 5green wood
• fifteenOuahabiBooked at 52 minutes
• 10Castellanos
• 4alexandriReplaced byplateat 84′protocol
• 7coombs
• 9Kelly
• 21showReplaced byBlakstadat 84′protocol
• 11hempReplaced bysatinat 79′protocol

substitute

• 3Stokes
• 8thfowler
• 12Angeldahl
• 13satin
• 17plate
• 22McIver
• 35Keating
• 36Little hat
• 41Blakstad

Referee: Abigail Byrne

Number of visitors: 4,403

live text

1. Game ends, Chelsea Women 2, Manchester City Women 0.

2. Second Half ends, Chelsea Women 2, Manchester City Women 0.

3. Offside, Chelsea Women. Ann-Katrin Berger tries a through ball, but Sam Kerr is caught offside.

4. Substitution, Chelsea Women. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd replaces Lauren James.

5. Foul by Magdalena Eriksson (Chelsea Women).

6. Hayley Raso (Manchester City Women) wins a free kick on the right wing.

7. Substitution, Chelsea Women. Niamh Charles replaced Guro Riding.

8. Substitution, Chelsea Women. Ève Périsset replaces Maren Mjelde.

9. Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

10. Foul by Maria Losada (Manchester City Women).

11. Substitution, Manchester City Women. Julie Blakstad replaces Khadija Shaw.

12. Substitution, Manchester City Women. María Losada replaces Laia Aleixandri.

13. attempt failed. Magdalena Eriksson (Chelsea Women) left footed shot from the center of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Guro Riding a cross following a set piece situation.

14. Fran Kirby (Chelsea Women) wins a free kick on the left wing.

15. Foul by Stephanie Houghton (Manchester City Women).

16. Corner, Manchester City Women. Goal by Magdalena Eriksson.

17. Lauren James (Chelsea Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

18. Foul by Leila Ouahabi (Manchester City Women).

19. attempt blocked. Chloe Kelly (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alex Greenwood.

20. Foul by Maren Mjelde (Chelsea Women).