4 weeks ago
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82 min Chelsea getting Kaptein and Kaneryd on the ball higher up the pitch has made such a difference this half. It may well be that neither start in midweek, but both have made a case, much as it seems inconceivable the former displaces Cuthbert or Walsh.
80 min More changes for City – Cushing is thinking about Thursday now. Off go Aleixandri, his captain, and Hasegawa, his best player, with Wienroither and Murphy coming on.
78 min Can either of these beat Barcelona? It feels a long shot doesn’t it? Anyhow, ball pumped into the Chelsea box, Roord jumps with Bright and Charles, doing enough to make the clearance a problem, and when the clearing header arrives at Kerolin, on the edge, she thwacks just over the top.
76 min James out to Kaneryd, who steals a yard from Layzell with an excellent first touch then sends over a fine low cross that no one can get on the end of. Meantime, Kerolin goes down having taken a bump to the heed of some sort, but she’ll be fine.
75 min Chelsea have quietened a little, but the way they’ve performed the last 30 minutes is a proper warning for the Champions League match. City, though, know that any time they can get Kerolin running at Bright, they’re in the game.
73 min This has been and still is a really good game. And we don’t even have to worry about it finishing because we’re getting more of it on Thursday; lovely stuff.
71 min City recover high and Park has Miedema alongside, but her pass is careless and Bronze times her interception perfectly. But, as I type, Casparaij finds Kerolin, accepts a decent return, cuts back … and Fowler, then Midema, both fail to get shots away, for the former missing her connection and latter treading on the ball! Phew!
69 min This match, of course isn’t just about today or even midweek or even this season, but about next. We know Chelsea will almost definitely win the league again, but the teams behind them are improving, with next year promising to be a lot closer.
68 min Keating goes down to take treatment, but when the City players run to the touchline, the sense is that this is a tactical stoppage. They badly need some guidance because Kaptein and Kaneryd are all over them currently.
66 min And again the corner, then another after it, come to nowt.
65 min It’s all Chelsea now, Kaptein out to Kaneryd, who tucks a return back across, and though Kaptein catches up with it nicely, turning first-time towards goal, again, Keating makes an excellent save, this time at her near post.
64 min City get the corner away but Chelsea soon win another, James’ cross cleared to Cuthbert on the edge; she measures a low shot … which Miedema kicks off the line. This has been a terrific reaction from the champs.
63 min But Chelsea are pouring it on now, Kanreyd having a cross kicked behind; before the corner is taken, Ramirez and Walsh replace Jean-Francois and Beever-Jones. What a flex that is.
61 min The corner comes to nothing.
60 min Again, Chelsea sweep forward, Beever-Jones sliding in Cuthbert outside her, who measures a really clever square-pass for Kaneryd, the defenders running past it, as the Swede steadies herself to shoot. But her touch is a little heavy and she panics under pressure, forcing a shot too close to Keating, who makes another fine save, smuggling the ball wide.
59 min But her she is now, found by Roord only to slightly misjudge her first-time pass back inside.
59 min We’ve seen nothing of Kerolin this half.
58 min Now a change for City, Fowler on for Coombs.
55 min Change for Chelsea, Cuthbert replacing Hamano. The way the game now is, that looks a clever alteration, because the champions, already on top, are now even stronger.
54 min This is a really good game now and here come Chelsea again! Kaptein finds Kaneryd at inside-right, she hares into the box, shoots … and catches the far post, the ball flying wide.
53 min Hamano for James, now out on the right, and her cut-back is met very nicely by Kaptein, who connects nicely, but Keating, flying right, pushes away for a corner … that comes to nothing.
53 min Better from City, Casparaij doing well to win the ball on the right touchline, which she slides inside to Miedema, running at Bright before shooting straight at Hampton.
52 min Chelsea win a corner down the left, Hamano to take, and a flick causes mild panic in the City box before the ball is wellied clear.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea (Beever-Jones 50)
This is beautifully done! Beever-Jones drops, spins and feeds outside to Kapstein, who slides into the box for Kanreyd. She dips inside Prior, left charging off somewhere towards Longsight,finds Beever-Jones on the burst, and she takes a touch that takes her away from her marker but keeps the ball close to her, ands fires low into the far corner.
48 min But here comes James, moving in off the left and curling from 20 yards … straight at Keating.
47 min And Hasegawa, by the way: what a player. She’s been by far the best midfielder on display, not jut today but also in midweek.
46 min Chelsea need to play a lot better than they did in the first half. Hoping James does something is not going to be enough, and I wonder if they might swap Bronze and Bright, so that when Kerolin cuts infield, she’s going at the former, because the latter is really struggling to cope.
46 min We go again!
Also going on:
HALF-TIME: Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea
City have been by far the better team and should be more than 1-0 up. Hasegawa and Kerolin are currently too good for Chelsea.
45 min We’ll have one additional minute.
44 min Bright, who was booked for the foul on Kerolin, just doesn’t know how to defend her; the Brazilian keeps the ball so close to her body and her body so close to the ground that trying to take it off her is more likely to see her dash off than cede possession.
42 min good ball out from Keating, Roord and Kerolin almost combine to create something, and then Hasegawa, who’s been fantastic, slides a gorgeous, disguised reverse-pass in behind for Kerolin, whose cut-back is flicked wide by Coombs, running across towards the front post. City are by far the better side now and should be further in front than they are.
42 min Hasegawa will shoot … she bends over the near side of the wall … and on to the bar and behind! That was a fantastic effort!
40 min OH REFEREE! Kerolin again gets Bright one-on-one and her combination of stepovers and swerves is too much, Bright backpeddling before lunging into a foul and, when the ball breaks to Park, she curls first-time and superbly into the net from the edge … but a split-second after she shoots, the ref blows for a foul. That’s very poor officiating; it was so obvious where the ball was going. But it’s a free-kick from the right edge of the D...
40 min It’s a nice problem to have, but what does Cushing do when Shaw is back? Kerolin is making herself undroppable, but Miedema also demands inclusion…
38 min Chelsea win a corner down the right … and Aleixandri, who’s been excellent so far, heads clear, then after Miedema, of all people, wins an important defensive header, Kerolin looks to have got away but James chases back after her and does the necessary.
37 min Ah, just after the goal, Jean-Francois was booked for a late challenge on Roord.
36 min Kanreyd does well down the right, dipping away from Casparaij, but her cross is cleared well by Aleixandri.
35 min City go at Chelsea again, a cross from the left deflected to the edge, where Park hits straight at Hampton.
34 min I said it was a lovely finish and it was, but Bright will be very disappointed with he reactivity there.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea (Kerolin 32)
Hasegawa slides into a clearance and this time Kerolin, com,ing in off the line, is one-on-one with Bright, who doesn’t want to commit, knowing she’s not got the pace to get back if the ball is taken away. But she also back off, allowing Kerolin into the box, a few stepovers and shuffles incite Bright to open her legs, and that’s exactly where the finish goes, passed through them and into the far corner with Hampton unsighted. Lovely finish, and that’s Kerolin’s first goal in the WSL!
31 min Kaptein into Hamano, who crosses, and Layzell clears.
30 min I daresay if Miedema had been put away as Kerolin has been twice, City would be a goal up.
28 min Terrific work from Hasegawa, who tenaciously wins the ball and finds Roord, who slides Kerolin in behind. And again, the Brazilian drives for goal, but this time, rather than shoot – and she really, really should – she looks to flip into the middle for Miedema, but Bronze dashes in to block with her swede.
26 min James is starting to influence the game; she’s so natural on the ball, he first touch always so well considered and taking her into space.
25 min The corner swings out, Keating flies into a palm away, and Jean-Francois hammers high and wide.
23 min Chlesea knock it back and forth from defence to midfield, looking to bait City into committing; when they find a route out, Jones reaches the ball before Kapstein, lovely feet taking her away, then she gets around the outside, crosses, and wins a corner.
22 min Park looks to curl in a cross from the left, but her effort is claimed by Hampton easily enough.
21 min We’ve seen almost nothing of Miedema so far. City need her to drop off or attack the channels, because currently she seems caught between the two.
19 min Chelsea are growing into this, James turning up in the 10 and again prompting – City need to work out what should happen when she does this; does Casparij follow or pass her on? – before Lawrence’s cross is cleared.
18 min Both sides will be relatively happy with what we’ve seen so far. City are controlling the game, while Chelsea are limiting them to little that’s dangerous while hinting an ability to strike on the counter.
