Chelsea FC Women

Chelsea started the defence of their Women’s Super League title with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Friday evening.  Johanna Rytting Kaneryd scored the only goal of the game in the first half but the Blues have Hannah Hampton to thank for the win after she made two good saves during second half stoppage time to deny Villa an equaliser.

It was the start of a new era at Chelsea with Sonia Bompastor in charge of a competitive match for the first time after Emma Hayes left at the end of last season after 12 years at the club.  Aston Villa were also under new management with Robert de Pauw replacing Carla Ward over the summer.

Kingsmeadow was sold out for the first match of the WSL season, and Gruo Reiten had the first chance of it for the Blues within the first two minutes but put her shot wide.  Sjoeke Nusken then met a free kick at the far post but her cross back across goal was just missed by Millie Bright’s head as the hosts made a good start

Reiten had the home sides next chance when after turning on the edge of the area she again put her shot wide in the 9th minute.

Villa had a good opportunity to go ahead in the 13th minute when Chasity Grant’s low cross was put over by Missy Bo Kearns in front of goal.

Chelsea immediately went up the other end and debutant Lucy Bronze saw her cross from the right-side not finding any of her teammates in the area.  The home side had more chances with Bronze seeing her header from a corner saved then Reiten missing the target.

Jordan Nobbs tested Hampton on the half-hour mark but her long-range effort for the away side was easily claimed by the England goalkeeper.

In the 35th minute, Sandy Baltimore’s cross was punched away by Sabrina D’Angelo before Villa cleared the ball.

A minute later Chelsea took the lead when Rytting Kaneryd picked the ball up, run across the area, turned then sent a shot from 18-yards into the corner of the net with her left foot.

Five minutes before the break, Nusken’s shot was saved by the Villa goalkeeper.  As the match entered first half stoppage time, Bright glanced a header wide.

The Villans had the first chance of the second half but Hampton claimed the ball after it had bounced around the 6-yard box.  Rachel Daly’s looping header then hit the top of the crossbar as the visitors looked for an equaliser at the start of the second half.

A shot into the side netting and a header onto the roof of the net were as close as the Blues had come to scoring in the second half until Erin Cuthbert sent an effort narrowly over in the 58th minute.

At the other end, Kadeisha Buchanan made a great tackle to stop half time substitute Kirsty Hanson getting a cross in.

D’Angelo kept out Cuthbert’s shot for the home side in the 67th minute.  Villa’s defence did well to stop Aggie Beever-Jones getting a shot away before they blocked Cuthbert’s effort in the 75th minute then the visitors goalkeeper prevented an own goal from Lucy Parker.

Ebony Salmon came on for Parker with five minutes left in a very attacking move from Villa at the same time Lauren James replaced goalscorer Rytting Kaneryd for the Blues as they looked for a bit of creativity to seal the match.

Summer signing Katie Robinson’s cross fizzed across goal for the visitors in the final minute of the 90.

Hampton made a good save to deny Daly late in stoppage time.  D’Angelo, who had come up for the late set-pieces, then saw her header superbly tipped over by the Chelsea goalie even deeper into additional time.

These proved to be the final chances as the Blues held on to claim the three points.  Even though they lost, there was a lot for the Villa to be positive about based on this performance.

Line ups

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Hampton, Lawrence, Bright (c), Buchanan, Bronze, Nusken, Cuthbert, Reiten (Bjorn 90’+4), Baltimore (Hamano 66’), Rytting Kaneryd (James 85’), Ramirez (Beever-Jones 67’)

Unused substitutes: Musovic, Macario, Perisset, Kaptein, Mpome,

Goal – Rytting Kaneryd 36’

Booked - Hamano

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): D’Angelo, Tomas, Parker (Salmon 85’), Patten, Maritz, Staniforth (Hanson 46’), Nobbs, Dali (Robinson 66’), Kearns, Grant (Leon 66’), Daly (c)

Unused substitutes: Poor, Mayling, Corsie, Turner, Pacheco

Booked - Staniforth

Referee – Kirsty Dowle

Attendance – 4,337