The Blues are searching for a sixth successive league title and their chances of lifting it were boosted on Saturday by a huge win at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea made a serious statement in the Women's Super League title race on Saturday as they beat Manchester City 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to snatch top spot. It was a cagey affair from which a winner was extremely tough to call for the most part – until two goals in four second half minutes allowed the Blues to secure a huge victory in their bid to claim a sixth successive league title, and a first under new head coach Sonia Bompastor.
Until that deadlock was broken, it was Chelsea who enjoyed the better of the play in the capital, but City who were on the receiving end of the bigger chances. Those were thanks to errors from the Blues and they were presented to the visitors' most dangerous player, too, but Khadija Shaw, last season's Golden Boot winner, was surprisingly wasteful to leave the game incredibly even as the latter stages approached.
It was as the final 15 minutes began that Chelsea then grabbed this match with both hands. Maika Hamano released Mayra Ramirez who, after brushing off Alanna Kennedy with ease, finished brilliantly to break the deadlock, and then Lucy Bronze's intelligent pass to Guro Reiten became a deserved assist when the winger curled her shot around Alex Greenwood and into the bottom corner. It means these two title rivals swap positions in the WSL table and Chelsea, who still have a game in hand, hold a two-point lead over the Cityzens. However, with it only mid-November, there's plenty of football to be played before the destination of this trophy is decided.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
Hannah Hampton (6/10):
Guilty of some inaccurate distribution but kept City out.
Lucy Bronze (7/10):
An asset for her team both defensively and going forward. Great assist for Reiten.
Millie Bright (6/10):
A little too loose in possession but ultimately helped her team keep a vital clean sheet.
Nathalie Bjorn (5/10):
Struggled to contain Shaw at times and walked a thin line on a booking.
Sandy Baltimore (7/10):
This was her toughest test this season in an unnatural position and though she made some mistakes, she also did some great defending.
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Sjoeke Nusken (7/10):
Covered plenty of ground and helped restrict City in their build-up play.
Erin Cuthbert (7/10):
Aggressive and front-footed to win the ball back plenty.
Maika Hamano (8/10):
Always looked the most likely to create something and it was indeed her who set Ramirez through to score.
Getty ImagesAttack
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (6/10):
Energetic and direct to always cause City problems, albeit without a standout end product.
Mayra Ramirez (8/10):
Things didn't always come off for her but she kept City on their toes with her positivity and got the goal her efforts deserved.
Guro Reiten (7/10):
Struggled to get involved for large spells but took her big chance when it came.
Subs & Manager
Ashley Lawrence (N/A):
On in the closing stages to help Chelsea see the game out.
Aggie Beever-Jones (N/A):
Introduced as stoppage time began.
Sonia Bompastor (7/10):
Chelsea haven't been great in the latter stages of games this season but that trend was reversed completely on the biggest occasion on Saturday, which will surely please Bompastor. The coach freshened things up from midweek Champions League action and, with minimal substitutions, trusted her XI to get the job done.