Match report: Chelsea climb to the top after 3-0 victory in London derby
Chelsea triumph over Tottenham with 3-0 at sold-out Stamford Bridge. The Blues win the London derby and celebrate overtaking the top of the table from Arsenal.
It was a confident performance by the home side. They started off the first half by scoring three goals. Sam Kerr made it 1-0 after an assist from Millie Bright. This was followed-up by a distance shot by Cuthbert. Reiten scored the 3-0 by penalty.
Not only one but two anniversaries took place
It was a day for celebration. Not only one but two anniversaries took place at the game. Emma Hayes, who returned to the sideline after having to undergo an emergency hysterectomy six weeks ago, marks her 10th year at the side. At the same time, the club itself celebrated being 30 years into the game.
The day was crowned by the victory and overtaking the top spot in the Women’s Super League after Manchester United managed to get three points against Arsenal with a 3-2 victory at the Emirates Stadium. On top of that, it was the first time the side has sold out Stamford Bridge.
The last time the Blues played there was also a face-off against Tottenham when the home side won 1-0 through a goal by Bethany England – in front of 25,000 people.
Chelsea had to do without Denmark star Pernille Harder as she suffered an injury during international duty. Eve Perisset and Jessie Fleming were brought into the starting XI. This indicated a return to a back-four formation.
Fran Kirby also returned to the squad, but took a seat on the bench for the time being.
Tottenham only made one change in comparison to their last WSL game against Brighton. Jessica Naz was brought in for Nikola Karczewska who could not play due to an ankle injury.
Chelsea decide the game in the first half
The game started relatively slowly, with both teams feeling each other out.
The first time Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger had to intervene was in the third minute, but had no problem to get a hold of the ball.
Shortly after that Sam Kerr almost got to the ball after a dangerous pass back to Spurs keeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela.
It was not until the 8th minute that it got fairly dangerous in the Chelsea penalty area after a good cross from Jessica Naz. The Blues only cleared at the second attempt.
Tottenham always had problems with the long balls from the opposing half. After a long ball by defender Millie Bright, Sam Kerr managed to get hold of the ball and stayed cool facing Korpela to score her 4th goal of the WSL season.
The Spurs response is a shot from distance by Ashleigh Neville after she won a tackle against Eve Perisset. However, her shot caused no problem for Berger.
The Blues continued to play over the wings with Perisset and Reiten but it was the long passes to the top that always caused problems to their opponent (Kerr 21’ and 23’).
Chelsea took use of their first corner by Guro Reiten in the 25th minute. The ball was first deflected by a Spurs defender but ended up at Erin Cuthbert’s foot who finished beautifully in the upper right corner of the Tottenham goal with no chance left for Korpela.
It was a penalty that made it 3-0 to Chelsea (36’). Lauren James broke through on the right and could only be stopped by a foul from Ashleigh Neville. Reiten who took on the penalty scored another one for the Blues.
Tottenham still tried to get their foot into the game. But it was Berger who got to the ball after a cross in front of Ashleigh Neville, who tried to finish with a header (43’).
Just before half-time the Blues had a double chance: Kerr failed to reach a high ball in front of the goal and Cuthbert’s following cross could not be converted.
Fran Kirby made her return to the pitch
The first chance in the second half again belonged to Chelsea. Reiten tested Korpela with a header after a Kerr cross. Shortly after that Magdalena Eriksson had enough space to shoot but the ball was not placed perfectly (47’).
The Blues further increased the pressure on the Tottenham defense, primarily fromset pieces. A Reiten header after a free kick went over from close range (50’).
After a corner in the 56th minute, Bright only managed to hit the crossbar. On the other side, the Chelsea defender cleared against Jessica Naz who attacked from a promising position.
Fran Kirby made her return to the pitch when substituted for Cuthbert (65’). The midfielder was unavailable for the last weeks after recovering from a viral infection.
Tottenham continued to only get chances out of long distance shots which do not cause any problem for Berger in the Chelsea goal.
With the La Ola going around Stamford Bridge, the Blues continued with their confidence on the pitch. Bethany England could not place the ball on target while making a turn (73’) while Lauren James’s shot missed the left corner of the goal by only centimetres (75’).
In the final phase, Spurs increased their pressure on the Chelsea defense, winning a corner (84’) and seeing a promising chance from Drew Spence fail to hit the target after a cross from substitute Chioma Ubogagu.
The last serious chance belonged to the Blues when Sophie Ingle failed to add another goal to the score board as a result of great defensive work by Korpela.
All in all, Chelsea deserved the victory after dominating Tottenham for the majority of the game.
Outlook for the next games
Tottenham have an away game against Reading in two weeks. They need to decide the game for themselves to stay in touch to the teams above.
The Blues do not have long to recover, as they face Real Madrid in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Wednesday evening. This will probably be decisive in determining the group winners as the Blues are currently leading with the Spanish side just two points behind.
For their next WSL match, Chelsea play bottom of the table team Leicester City.
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