Chelsea extended their lead at the top of the Women’s Super League (WSL) standings with a close, hard-fought 1-0 win at home to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
Guro Reiten scored the only goal of the game by converting a penalty in the first half. Mayra Ramírez was brought down by United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, resulting in the penalty.
Marc Skinner’s team only had one shot on goal and one of their other two shots hit the crossbar. That was dwarfed by Chelsea’s 13 attempts, six of which were on target.
Chelsea are now five points clear at the top ahead of Manchester Metropolis and all have played eight games. Brighton complete the top three, with Arsenal and United not far behind.
*Ratings provided by Fotmob*
Portero: Hannah Hampton – 7,5/10 – He came into action early after some slack possession by the hosts. He made a strong save early in the second half after Geyse’s long-range shot was almost deflected into the top corner.
RB: Lucy Bronce – 7,9/10 – He gave the ball away cheaply in the opening minutes, creating a chance for United, but Hampton was there to claim a cross into the box.
CB: Nathalie Bjorn – 8,0/10 – First choice alongside Vivid after Buchanan’s injury and has taken on the task with confidence. A solid display and it helped restrict United to very few chances.
CB: Millie Vivid (c) – 7,6/10 – Confident in possession to get the ball into the center of the field and move Chelsea up the pitch. He started a play that ended with a deflected shot from Kaneryd. He made an essential slide challenge to stop Geyse before the break.
LI: Sandy Baltimore – 7,6/10 – Some strong combinations with Reiten on the left that caused United a lot of problems. One resulted in a headed clearance off the line.
CM: Erin Cuthbert – 7,5/10 – He passed numerous United players on the hour mark with some clever footwork and unleashed a solid attempt aimed at the far corner, but it barely evaded the goal and the onrushing Beever-Jones.
CM: Sjoeke Nusken – 7.2/10 – Some fantastic passes in the first half, one spotting Baltimore’s run down the left which created a good chance for Chelsea. He fired a strong shot at 12 minutes, but narrowly missed.
RM: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd – 7,2/10 – The Swede had a couple of early chances, but her teammates got in her way or she couldn’t get it right. A great offensive threat for Chelsea, but things did not go well in front of goal.
AM: Maika Hamano – 6.3/10 – Had an early attempt at a goal saved and played a smart pass to Ramirez as the Colombian international won the penalty. Substituted early in the second half.
LM: Guro Riding – 7.9/10 – Perfect penalty to give Chelsea a well-deserved lead in the first half. He had many chances, but was substituted
WED: Mayra Ramírez – 6.5/10 – She stood in the way of a Kaneryd shot early on but won the penalty in the first half when Tullis-Joyce brought her down. He forced a decent save from the United goalkeeper in the second half with an attempt from a tight angle.
Substitutes
SUB: Catarina Macario (56′ for Hamano) – 6.2/10
SUB: Aggie Beever-Jones (56′ for Reiten) – 6.2/10
Substitutes not used: Zecira Musovic (Goalkeeper), Ashley Lawrence, Eve Perisset, Wieke Kaptein, Maelys Mpome, Oriane Jean-Francois, Alejandra Bernabe
Manager
Sonia Bompastor – 8/10 – It’s hard to fault a manager with a 100% record in all competitions this season. He faced injury setbacks, largely due to the excellent team he had at his disposal. Chelsea were not at their scoring best, but that is never guaranteed against a strong defence. A victory is a victory.
Portero: Phallon Tullis-Joyce – 7,2/10 – She made some early saves as Chelsea dominated, but conceded the penalty when she brought down Ramirez and was booked as a result. He went in the right direction for Reiten’s penalty but couldn’t make the touch. Some sloppy play with Turner in the second half that resulted in another great chance for Chelsea.
RB: Jayde Riviere – 6,9/10 – He took some good positions and attempted some crosses into the box, but Hampton was always alive and alert to claim. Difficult afternoon against Reiten and then against Beever-Jones in the second half.
CB: Maya Le Tissier (c) – 7.2/10 – Ramirez dragged her out of position and then lost the forward as she charged into the box to win the penalty. An essential block to deny Kaneryd in the second half after some sloppy play by her teammates.
CB: Millie Turner – 6,4/10 – A headed clearance off the line late in the first half to deny Chelsea an almost certain second goal. Sloppy in possession at times, especially at one point in the second half when Kaneryd beat her to a pass from Tullis-Joyce and United almost conceded a second.
LI: Gabby George – 7,5/10 – Trapped too high up the pitch late in the second half when Kaneryd took space on the right flank and almost set up Ramirez for Chelsea’s second, United were saved only because the shot went straight at Tullis-Joyce. But he provides balance and tries to progress the ball.
CM: Simi Awujo – 7.1/10 – He lost the fight in midfield which resulted in Chelsea advancing and winning a penalty. Very interesting midfield battle with Cuthbert throughout the game.
CM: Dominique Janssen – 6.8/10 – He gave up some unnecessary fouls and was booked for a challenge on Erin Cuthbert late in the game. Chelsea were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position, but United eventually cleared the danger.
RM: Célin Bizet – 6.0/10 – Touch disappointed her at times when she let the ball get away from her after a clever pass from Geyse in the second half, and Bronze was able to intercept. Subtitled in 60.
AM: Grace Clinton – 6.3/10 – He received an unnecessary warning at the end of the first half for kicking the ball. He struggled to influence the game as he has done so many times this season due to Chelsea’s dominance. He looked tired.
LM: Geiser – 6.3/10 – An attempt from distance was nearly deflected early in the second half, but Hampton was there to make the save. He was the center of United’s attacking play, but the visitors were unable to make their efforts count.
ST: Rachel Williams – 5,7/10 – She collided with Hampton in the first half in an attempt to win the ball, but was booked for her efforts, potentially for dissent. Subtitled in 60.
Substitutes
SUB: Melvine Malard (61′ para Williams) – 6.3/10
SUB: Leah Galton (61′ para Bizet) – 6.3/10
SUB: Hayley Ladd (89′ for Awujo) – N/A
SUB: Anna Sandberg (90+3′ for George) – N/A
Substitutes not used: Safia Middleton-Patel (GK), Hinata Miyazawa, Emma Watson, Jess Simpson.
Manager
Marc Skinner – 5/10 – A narrow loss is an improvement over last season’s 6-0 final. Defensively his team looked better, but up front it was a different story. They struggled to find the middle ground between containing Chelsea and forging their own attacks.
