Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League quarter-final, first leg – live | Women’s Champions League
Key events
Will that WSL fixture potentially benefit City’s Champions League bid? Chelsea may enact revenge for the defeat on Saturday and then City could seal this tie next week. It is just so hard to predict with the amount of games the clubs are playing against each other in the space of 12 days.
With the two clubs playing one another four times in a row, Chelsea’s unbeaten run was likely to fall. But I doubt anyone would have predicted just how well Man City could dominate them. The Blues just completely nullified in the box. City superb. How will a Bompastor Chelsea side reply to a defeat? No one knows. They will play each other in the WSL on the weekend before this reverse fixture.
Full-time: Man City 2-0 Chelsea
Chelsea have lost their first game of the season and City are in the driving seat in this quarter-final.
90 + 5 min: It’s a slow build up but Chelsea manage to clear.
90 + 4 min: City have won a free kick in a great position. They will want to kick Chelsea while they are down here.
90 + 3 min: How amazing is it to see Miedema back to her best? Particularly after her ACL injuries. What a player. Also Chelsea have missed another opportunity to score but in this game that is the same as saying water is wet.
90 + 1 min: There will be five minutes added.
90 min: Chelsea are very likely heading to their first loss of the season. Not only that but they will have to overturn a 2-0 loss in their second leg.
It was a good corner delivery for Chelsea but Nusken couldn’t capitalise on her header. City move quickly and Kerolin sets up Miedema who slots it in the left corner. What an impact she has had.
GOAL! Man City 2-0 Chelsea (Miedema, 89)
It’s her again!
88 min: Another Chelsea corner, can they equalise?
87 min: City alleviate the pressure and Kerolin champions a counter. She finds Miedema who takes a shot which is saved by Hampton. Then the offside flag is raised. This game is full of action.
86 min: My word, Kaptein almost scores but Yamashita saves. She can’t keep control of it and Bronze wins a corner. Baltimore sends it in but it’s well cleared by City. I have a feeling they will hold into this lead despite huge Chelsea pressure.
85 min: Beever-Jones has an effort from just outside of the box but it is straight at Yamashita. That save was relatively easy for the goalkeeper but she has had a good game this evening.
84 min: Aleixandri is okay to continue and play gets back underway. Chelsea are still on top but they just cannot find a way through this City defence.
82 min: Aleixandri is down here and in need of some treatment after she fairly tackles Bronze. So a bit of a break in play.
81 min: Kaneryd whacks the bar! How has she not scored from there? Yamashita does just enough to put her off.
79 min: This is a game Sam Kerr would thrive in, during her time at Chelsea she has been the player to provide a goal even when the team don’t necessarily deserve one. Unfortunately she is still sidelined with her ACL injury. She has been named in Chelsea’s WCL squad for the knockout stages but she is not included this evening.
78 min: This match is slipping away from Chelsea and that is thanks to the incredible performance from City. One of the best matches they have played all season.
76 min: City make a change with Park off for Laura Blindkilde Brown. Chelsea have a free kick and it is taken by Hamano but the ball is poor and out for a goal kick.
75 min: Will City want a bit more of a buffer for all of their efforts tonight? They have been the superior team but only one goal separates the teams. The second leg of this quarter-final will take place at Stamford Bridge next week. Here come City to try and add to their tally with a long range Ouahabi effort but Hampton collects.
73 min: Chelsea makes a change with Ramirez off for Hamano.
72 min: Chelsea looked like they had worked a nice bit of skill into a goal there, Beever-Jones passes into the box to Ramirez who hits the back of the net. But she is ruled offside. A warning shot for City.
70 min: Ramirez is now down, it looks like a spot of cramp. A nice bit of sportsmanship as Yamashita helps stretch out her her. The Colombia international is now back to her feet and okay to continue.
69 min: If I were a Chelsea player it would annoy me to no end if the club’s perfect record this season went up in flames at the Joie Stadium. The team haven’t made a big deal about their invincible season but internally surely it will frustrate them if they can’t get back into this match?
67 min: City’s defence is just exquisite right now. Chelsea are getting into the box but all of their threats are nullified by this well drilled defence. A thoroughly good performance all round for Nick Cushing’s team so far.
65 min: A lovely ball to Miedema sees her make a great run, her resulting shot forces Hampton into a save. She can’t collect but Bright eventually clears. City taste blood and they want more. Before they do they make a change with Fowler off for Laura Coombs.
63 min: Remember if this score stays as it is as well, while Chelsea won’t be out of the Champions League their unbeaten streak would be over. Sonia Bompastor has not lost a game as Chelsea manager yet.
62 min: On the balance of this game City do deserve to be ahead. What a moment for Miedema. Could that be the decisive goal? Of course there is a lot of football to be played in this first leg and an entire second leg but it could be the difference.
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Chelsea (Miedema, 61)
Finally! Fowler is over the corner and her delivery is straight into the box. It is scrappy but Chelsea get it clear. City send it back in and Hampton saves but it comes back to Miedema and she finishes.
60 min: Hasegawa is having a great game and she wins the ball in a great position. She, Miedema and Kerolin all link up and they win a corner.
59 min: Baltimore takes the corner again but Yamashita reads i perfectly to pluck it out of the air. City now counter, Kerolin has a fantastic run and she cross in but Bronze’s header intercepts in a great bit of defending. Chelsea make some changes with Walsh and James off for Rytting Kaneryd and Nusken.
58 min: Bronze has so much space to cross it into the box but again no one is there to latch onto it. It’s frustrating to watch at both ends right now, both sets of players doing everything right until the last pass. Chelsea now win a corner.
56 min: Chelsea keep creating great chances but then wasting them by gifting the ball back to City with sloppy passes. City are definitely showing more cohesion in this game but they are also yet to capitalise to break the deadlock, the latest shot from Roord not powerful enough to trouble Hampton.
54 min: The corner delivery is to the edge of the box but it is eventually popped in. Fowler aims towards goal but Hampton reads it well to collect.
53 min: James takes the free kick but City easily clear it and they look to counter but it’s cut out. It’s a bit like watching tennis at the moment the amount of movement there is on the ball. Kerolin has a heroic run but Bright puts on a great tackle but concedes a corner.
52 min: Beever-Jones wins a free kick but it is quite far out and Chelsea run it back to halfway. As the Blues work it up the pitch Prior gives away another free kick for a foul on Ramirez. another good opportunity for Chelsea.
51 min: A lovely ball is given to Ramirez but again she doesn’t have the support and her pass into the box only reaches Hasegawa. City counter and it comes to Miedema in the other box, she finds Casparji but her shot is wide. This game goes from cagey to wide open to a space of a second.
49 min: Baltimore is the taker and she passes to James who takes a long range effort but Yamashita saves well.
48 min: City are doing a great job of pinning Chelsea in their own half. It takes a long pass from Hampton for them to get out of the half and Bronze wins a free kick.
47 min: Kirk Klinger has emailed and wants to see more changes to the Chelsea team in this half:
Disappointing first half for Chelsea few touches on MC half of field. Personally don’t like Ramirez and Beever-Jones on pitch together Kaneryd a better fit with her speed. James needs more of ball on offensive side of pitch she’s a 10 her vision and ball skills unlike another. Looking forward to 2nd half and hoping for some CFC fireworks.
I think manager Sonia Bompastor has put some squad rotation in with the volume of games the club have against the same opposition, hence why Rytting Kaneryd started in the bench tonight. There’s no doubt she’ll feature at some point tonight.
Back underway! Man City 0-0 Chelsea
Can either side find a breakthrough? All to come. Chelsea are making a change with Wieke Kaptein on for Macario and City have also made a change with Vivianne Miedema on for Murphy.
A bit of half-time reading for you:
Both sides played well in the first 45 but I’d say City have the slight edge. They have had more spells in control. Both teams just need to be more clinical in the final third and we could have a goal fest on our hands.
Half-time: Man City 0-0 Chelsea
A great half but the deadlock stands.
45 + 1 min: Hasegawa passes a magnificent ball but Bronze muscles Murphy off of the ball to clear.
44 min: Macario has a sloppy pass and gifts the ball away, City break and Chelsea put it out for a corner. Bjorn had to do that or Murphy was about to pounce. City take the corner short and Kerstin Casparji takes a shot but it’s out for a goal kick. Sonia Bompastor was absolutely fuming how Chelsea got themselves in that situation.
42 min: Kerolin does well to put pressure on Bright for her to spill the ball out of play. But then City are offside.
40 min: The battle between Ramirez and Laia Aleixandri is such an interesting one. The Man City star winning their latest duel and clearing danger for the hosts.
38 min: I’ve just cracked open my salted popcorn, it’s definitely a game for it. Incredible performances so far.
36 min: Ramirez makes a great run into the box and lays off the perfect ball but no one is there to pick it up. Feels like a game where both sides are destined not to score. All the chances but no scores. And City prove my point with a cracking break but Chelsea defend well to clear.
34 min: Ramirez is caught by Ouahabi, a bit of a soft free kick, which gives Chelsea another attacking opportunity. Baltimore pops it in but Fowler clears.
33 min: Oh my word, that is what Chelsea can do if they are given a bit of attack. James crosses in and finds Macario but it’s over the bar. The last 10 minutes have been all City but give Chelsea a slight chance and they can capitalise – it is exactly what happened at the weekend in the League Cup final.
