Ladies First: WSL 2021 2022 Birmingham Chelsea

1 mai 2022

St Andrews

ENG Full

WSL.2021.2022.Birm.Chelsea.ENG.twb22.ts

2.5 Go

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When you’re chasing the league title, wins can come in many different forms but a win, however ugly, is still a win and this was as unsightly a victory as you could imagine, but Chelsea's fans won't care. The defending champions looked like nothing of the sort, but if these three points help them lift the Women’s Super League trophy again next Sunday then nobody will remember this performance on a wet and slippery evening at Birmingham City, as Emma Hayes’ team moved within one win of the title they so desperately crave.

St Andrew’s, the home of the WSL’s bottom side Birmingham City, was the scene of Chelsea’s title rivals Arsenal’s sole defeat of a league campaign so far. That shock result in January, as it stands, might ultimately cost Arsenal top spot. But for very long periods on Sunday night, Chelsea looked set to slip on the same banana skin, as hard-working Birmingham proved very tricky to break down. And so you'd expect them to, as the West Midlands club are fighting for their future in the division, now five points from safety with just two games to go. It was not until the 64th minute that this dour game saw its first attempt on target, from Pernille Harder. The breakthrough goal that followed seven minutes later was suitably scrappy, befitting of the game as a whole.

Harder's back-post header hit the flailing arm of left-back Lisa Robertson - who was looking in the opposite direction to the ball, with certainly no intent to handle it - and Emily Heaslip awarded the penalty. Denmark skipper Harder sent goalkeeper Emily Ramsey the wrong way from the penalty spot to maintain Chelsea's four-point lead at the top over Arsenal, who have a game in hand on Wednesday at home to Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates. As for Birmingham, who continue to improve but with time running out, they must now win both of their remaining games to have any chance of surviving. Worryingly from their point of view, the first of those is away to in-form Manchester City, a side who have won 11 matches in a row in all competitions. The latter is away to their neighbours Aston Villa at Villa Park on May 8, where they face the prospect of being relegated at the hands of their second-city rivals.

Boosted by their second win of the season last weekend away at Brighton, they worked tremendously hard again against Chelsea, and hugely frustrated Hayes' side in the first half, but they lacked the quality at the other end to truly test Ann-Katrin Berger until stoppage time. Chelsea’s Sam Kerr, who had scored a hat-trick in her past two WSL appearances against Birmingham, was kept relatively quiet, two days after being named as the Football Writers’ Association’s Player of the Year. That was to Birmingham’s back five’s credit, but it will offer them little comfort as, despite their admirable fighting spirit, they slipped ever closer to the drop.

Birmingham City (5-2-1-2): Ramsey 6; Cowie 6 (Whipp 6, 67), Scott 7, Lo Quinn 7, Lawley 6, Robertson 5 (Whelan 5, 86); Finn 6, Murray 7; Pennock 6 (Smith 6, 67); Lu Quinn 6, Sarri 6;

Chelsea (3-5-2): Berger 6; Bright 7, Carter 6 (Andersson, 64), Eriksson 6; Charles 6, Harder 7 (Spence 6, 82), Ingle 6 (James 6, 64), Fleming 6, Reiten 7; England 6 (Cuthbert 8, 45), Kerr 6 (Mjelde, 86); Subs not used: Musovic (gk), Nouwen, Abdullina

Emma Hayes:

“I said it before the game: we are playing teams that have something to lose. Birmingham played tremendously well. I thought we were nervy in the first half – we rushed things and, because the goal didn’t came… I say it all the time but Sam Kerr mustn’t be called offside when she’s not offside. The officials have got to do better with appreciating her movement. But job done, Pernille Harder has composure at the biggest moments, and I’m delighted.

“It’s one of those games where you know it’s gonna be tight and you hope for the early goal. I felt it was a difficult day for the centre-forwards because their back three dropped so early. That’s why I took Beth out at half-time, because I felt the centre-forward wasn’t in the game, so we had to create some overloads. In games like this you’ve just gotta dig it out.”