In case you missed it, the Women's Manchester City vs Chelsea game this weekend was an absolute cracker. As an Arsenal fan, I was secretly hoping for a City win, because let's face it, Arsenal needed Chelsea to drop points somewhere. And boy, did City deliver!
This game blew the Barclay's Women's Super League title race wide open with a stunning 2-0 victory over Chelsea. In fact, this was the first time in 89 games that Chelsea lost by a 2+ goal margin, the previous defeat being a 0-5 drubbing against Arsenal in October 2018.
Despite Chelsea's lacklustre, pedestrian-like performance, credit must be given to Manchester City, who were on top form in every area of the pitch. Filippa Angeldahl's debut WSL goal was a thing of beauty, with Berger practically serving her the ball on a platter. And Lauren Hemp's left-footed strike in the 30th minute was a sight to behold.
Anticipating a Chelsea comeback? Brace yourself for disappointment. Instead of a roar, we got a whimper - Emma Hayes' Ingle and James were subbed off for Kaneryd and Charles at the 34th minute. Even with Lauren James barely touching the ball, Chelsea failed to bring their A-game. From a usually dominant force, they turned into a slow and sloppy team in both defence and attack. Tough weekend for the Blues.
While watching Emma Hayes' side, it was clear that something was missing. Maybe it was the mid-week Champions League match against Lyon, or the absence of key defender Millie Bright. But there was just no flow to Chelsea's play, and City took full advantage.
In the second half, Chelsea improved, but rarely threatened Ellie Roebuck's goal. The final score remained 2-0, with City securing another 3 points and moving up to second in the table, keeping their title race challenge alive.
As for Chelsea, they'll need to regroup quickly for their upcoming Champions League Quarter-Final second leg at home. But as Emma Hayes said after the match, "I think it was one game too far for us this week." Perhaps they were stretched too thin. But as an Arsenal fan, I can't help but point out that we managed to secure a 5-1 win against Spurs this weekend. Just saying.
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