Manager Emma Hayes and her Chelsea Women headed into their first Women’s Super League match since February on a mission. The Blues need all of the points they can get, with three games in hand on league leader, Arsenal, as they look to win their third straight WSL title. The team had not won a league match since early last month, but that all changed at Chigwell Construction Stadium on Thursday night. Chelsea walked away with a crucial confidence boost, courtesy of a 4-1 defeat of West Ham United.
Danish forward Pernille Harder netted her fourth and fifth goals of the 2021/22 WSL campaign to propel the Blues to the victory. She was prolific during the 79 minutes she was on the pitch, wreaking havoc on the Hammers’ defense from the wing. Both of her goals were works of art and helped bring home a vital three points in the WSL title charge. A curling left-footed shot and a header off a creative assist by Ji So-yun. It was in fact the first time Harder found the back of the net in the league since October 10, 2021, in a 2-0 win over the Foxes of Leicester City. Here are some of the takeaways from Chelsea’s important domestic win on Thursday evening.
The Chelsea Women demolished West Ham, 4-1, behind Pernille Harder’s brace
Following a poor second-half outing against Manchester City last time out in the Continental Cup final, the team had something to prove. There is still a lot of season left, and losing out on a trophy hurts no matter how you slice it. On the bright side, the Blues are still in the hunt for the league title and even the FA Cup for the second consecutive season.
West Ham had its opportunities on the evening, but the Blues were the ones to take advantage of their chances with more precision. In the last match against the Irons in the league, Niamh Charles was magnificent, and on Thursday night, she may have played even better against West Ham. Charles scored an absolute cracker with her right foot in the 24′ of the match, catching Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold off guard.
During a tough day at Chelsea Football Club, Hayes and the Blues found a way to trudge through the drama that was happening off the field. The future of the club may be in question, but to the women that took the field on Thursday night, their eyes were set on avenging the devastating loss to a team they beat three times prior to the weekend this season. Hayes praised the Hammers before the match, but the talent of Chelsea proved to be too much.
West Ham did find the back of the net through a powerful volley by Icelandic international Dagny Brynjarsdottir to extend her team lead in goals with four in the league. Star striker Sam Kerr found the back of the net for the first time in the WSL since November and tied Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema for the league lead in goals.
Next up for the Blues is another league match against ninth place Aston Villa on Sunday, March 13. Chelsea has never lost to the Villains in the six times these two sides have met in each squad’s respective history. Hayes and company continue to close the gap on the league-leading Gunners and considering the drama around the club and the performance over the weekend, the Blues showed a lot of character and resilience against West Ham during the midweek match.
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