2 months ago
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8 min This has been a really entertaining start. Chelsea are threatening now, but Villa look enterprising connected nan antagonistic and for illustration they judge they tin get thing retired of this.
6 min Pre-match, Arroyo told america she wanted her broadside to enactment successful nan crippled early on, but they’ve done plentifulness much than that. But Chelsea are awake now, Thompson moving disconnected Nightswonger, and collecting a walk into stride earlier crossing; successful nan middle, Patten does conscionable capable to lever Kerr retired of it before, backing up from nan left, James again shoots wide.
5 min Back travel Chelsea, Walsh having a changeable blocked, past James fires wide.
4 min Chelsea person plentifulness of clip to get that extremity back, but Bompastor will beryllium concerned by truthful lackadaisical a start.
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Aston Villa (Grant 2)
Oh my days! Bronze plays a blind, casual square-pass and Grant, successful nan nary 10 position, collects possession and spreads correct to Wilms. Her cross, debased to nan adjacent post, is on-point, and Grant, goal-side and moving disconnected Girma, dashes to meet it, lifting a good decorativeness complete Hampton. What a start!
1 min Chelsea look to bait Villa into pressing, knocking nan shot astir nan backmost 4 arsenic they settee into rhytnm.
1 min Chelsea get america nether way.
Chelsea look bully and relaxed successful nan huddle, plentifulness of laughter arsenic Walsh gets them going. We’re ready.
Our teams are tunnelled, and present they come. This is Chelsea’s last location convention crippled of nan season.
These 2 teams person met 11 times successful nan WSL; Chelsea person won them all.
It really is excessively agelong since we saw Kerr and James together. If they’re astatine it today, I’m not judge what Villa tin do astir it.
Chelsea will cognize that, if they extremity Hanson – only Khadija Shaw has scored much than her 10 convention goals this play – they astir apt extremity Villa. I’d not beryllium amazed to spot her drift wide and spot if she tin get astatine nan inexperienced Buurman.
Bompastor tells Skywanted to find nan strongest starting XI and Kerr, arsenic nan only nary 9 successful nan squad, had to beryllium involved.
Natalia Arroyo knows her squad look a difficult task, Chelsea astir apt angry aft their midweek tousing, truthful successful nan first lawsuit she wants Villa to enactment successful nan game, past conflict hard.
Villa, meantime, will look to support a debased block, I expect, with Chastity Grant and Lucia Kendal breaking quickly and seeking to create for Kirsty Hanson. Villa presently beryllium eighth successful nan table, but will spot sixth arsenic still wrong reach.
So wherever is nan game? Chelsea will look to play into Kerr and, if they can, get her turned and moving either successful down aliases pinch nan ball. while James wanders disconnected nan near successful support. To make that happen, they’ll usage Keira Walsh to power nan gait of nan game, pinch Kaptein and Nusken successful peculiar bombing on.
The large news, though, is nan return of Kerr. A broadside that has her and Lauren James successful it tin do thing to anyone, but really quickly tin they gel?
This is simply a comparatively young Chelsea XI – Veerla Buurman is 19, Wieke Kaptein 19 and Alyssa Thompson 21. I’m really looking guardant to seeing really they get connected arsenic Bompastor looks to refresh nan club, and if immoderate of them do good capable to gain a midweek commencement erstwhile Arsenal visit.
Also going on:
Villa won past play for nan first clip since Brighton since beating Brighton connected 11 January; they make 1 change, Lucy Parker dropping retired pinch Océane Deslandes coming in.
Changes for Chelsea: retired spell Kadeisha Buchannan, Erin Cuthbert and Sandy Baltimore; successful travel Wieke Kaptein on pinch nan returnees, Ellie Carpenter, starting aft sitting connected nan chair successful midweek, and Sam Kerr.
Teams!
Chelsea (4-3-3): Hampton; Carpenter, Girma, Bronze, Buurman; Walsh, Nusken, Kaptein; Thompson, Kerr, James. Subs: Peng, Spencer, Buchanan, Baltimore, Charles, Potter, Cuthbert, Shooter, Sarwie.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Roebuck; Wilms, Patten, Deslandes, Nightswonger; Jean-Francois, Taylor; Grant, Maritz, Kendall; Hanson. Subs: D’Anglelo, Maltby, Scott, Seymour, Lea, Hijikata, Salmon.
Referee: Callum Jones (Bootle)
Preamble
A legendary head leaves a nine and occurrence continues: we saw it for half a procreation aft Chelsea sacked José Mourinho and for a play aft Emma Hayes moved on, likewise truthful astatine Liverpool pursuing nan resignation of Jürgen Klopp. To what extent, though, was that down to processes truthful effective and inculcated that they outlasted nan departed, versus nan impetus of caller ideas from nan caller incumbent? For Sonia Bompastor, nan unit is on.
Yesterday’s thumping derby triumph intends Manchester City request a maximum of 5 points from thee games to regain nan WSL crown; Chelsea, who past play won an undefeated home treble, were hardly ever successful nan race. They did clasp nan League Cup, are still successful nan FA Cup – and nan Champions League, conscionable astir – but different play for illustration this 1 won’t beryllium bully capable for a nine utilized to better.
Disappointment has galore mothers, and Chelsea travel into this afternoon’s crippled without Nathalie Björn, Myra Ramírez, Niamh Charles and Millie Bright, while Aggie Beever-Jones mightiness still beryllium absent too. On nan different hand, though, Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter are disposable for a lucifer nan value of which is acold greater than itself.
Most pressingly, connected Wednesday nighttime Chelsea meet Arsenal successful nan 2nd limb of their Champions League quarter-final, trailing nan defending champions – and what a achy building that is for a broadside yet to triumph nan point – 3-1. A bully capacity coming will springiness them momentum arsenic they hole for a task that is difficult but not impossible.
But this title is astir adjacent play arsenic good arsenic this. Though currently, Chelsea beryllium 4th successful nan WSL, a triumph coming takes them 3rd and into nan Champions League spots – 2 points up of Manchester United, who they big successful nan last information of games. Or, successful different words, nan title whitethorn not beryllium astatine stake, but there’s still a helluva batch going connected here.
Kick-off: 12pm BST, baby
