Chelsea beat Man City to take control of WSL title race

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women's football news reporter at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea went top of the Women's Super League after a significant victory over Manchester City in the first meeting of the season between the top two.

It had been a cagey affair as both managers matched each other tactically until Mayra Ramirez shrugged off Alanna Kennedy to win the ball, ran at defender Alex Greenwood and coolly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita.

It was a moment of real quality the game needed to break the deadlock in the 75th minute and Chelsea maintained their pressure, doubling their advantage when Guro Reiten curled in a second just four minutes later.

The defending WSL champions have won every match in all competitions under new manager Sonia Bompastor and this was a big statement in their title defence.

Gareth Taylor's side, who were without England international Lauren Hemp because of a knee injury, missed her creativity as striker Khadija Shaw was largely kept quiet.

Shaw was gifted a chance in the first half when a poor back pass from Sandy Baltimore put her through on goal but the WSL's top scorer dragged her shot wide of the far post.

Chelsea had enjoyed a brief spell of domination early on, creating chances, but rarely tested goalkeeper Yamashita until the second half.

Defeat ended City's unbeaten run and moved Chelsea top with a game in hand, cementing their status as the team to beat in England.

Worrying for rivals as Chelsea march on

Getty Images

Chelsea have won all 10 matches under Sonia Bompastor this season

This was the most hotly anticipated WSL fixture of the season and fans travelled across London, hearing the voices of Lionesses Greenwood and Lucy Bronze on the Underground public address system as they made their way to Stamford Bridge.

Bompastor was greeted by rival manager Taylor when the teams headed out of the tunnel before kick-off, and they embraced each other and shook hands.

That mark of respect was reciprocated by the players as both teams cancelled each other out initially, cautious not to take too many risks, knowing what was at stake in the title race.

They were too cautious at times with neither team creating any clear-cut chances, while England defenders Greenwood and Millie Bright did well to hold off Ramirez and Shaw respectively.

But as the match wore on, Ramirez got more involved and she eventually had her moment, getting the better of Kennedy and finding enough space to beat Greenwood inside City's box and provide an accurate finish.

That sparked momentum for Chelsea and with the fans buoyed and in celebration, they increased the intensity, finding a quick second through Reiten to put the game to bed.

City, who saw off European champions Barcelona at home earlier this season, showed they could compete with Chelsea for much of the game but Hemp's absence was notable.

Hemp, who leads the assists chart and chances created in the WSL this season, sat watching on in the stands alongside England manager Sarina Wiegman as her side struggled to provide Shaw with the service she needed.

It was a frustrating evening for the visitors, who were pipped to the WSL title by Chelsea on goal difference last season.

There remains a long way to go in the title race but Chelsea's seamless transition under Bompastor, who took over from Emma Hayes in the summer, is a worrying sight for their rivals.

Player of the match

M. Ramírez
8.13
7 M. Ramírez
8.13
8 E. Cuthbert
7.89
19 J. Rytting Kaneryd
7.85
11 G. Reiten
7.74
22 L. Bronze
7.62
23 M. Hamano
7.41
17 S. Baltimore
7.38
4 M. Bright
7.33
6 S. Nüsken
7.27
14 N. Björn
7.08
24 H. Hampton
6.92
33 A. Beever-Jones
6.65
12 A. Lawrence
6.44
Back to team tabs

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.

Related topics