Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham recap: One step closer to FAWSL title

Just when the match was in jeopardy, Chelsea’s dynamic duo up top struck at the most opportune times. Emma Hayes led the Blues in an energetic atmosphere at Kingsmeadow to a four-point lead at the top of the Women’s Super League table. Immediately after Kerys Harrop scored the equalizer just before halftime, Sam Kerr extended her lead in goals with her 18th of the domestic campaign. Chelsea came out of the gate strong and found the back of the net through Bethany England after numerous missed opportunities to earn all three points in the end.

Two more matches and the Blues could be crowned the winners of the WSL for the third straight season. While they gave up an uncharacteristic goal just before halftime against Tottenham midweek, the ability to recover quickly was exactly why reigning WSL Champions are in the position they’re in right now. Even though the difference on the scoreboard was only one goal, at this point in the season, it is all about just grinding out results and getting points.

Chelsea moved one step closer to the WSL title after a 2-1 win over Spurs

Following the result, Hayes spoke on the performance, stating:

"“Job done, three points, doesn’t matter how it happened. Thought we should have had more goals, but it was about getting the result, and we did that. It’s been a tough week against a top team, and I thought Sunday took its toll, especially in the second half, but we got three points, that is all that matters. It was a solid team performance…the whole team did what they had to do when they had to do it. We want to be in position on Sunday evening when we’re competing to win the title.”"

There still are some concerns coming out of the match though, even though Hayes’ was mostly focused on getting the result with two matches left to play. Limiting the number of chances the opposition gets is something that Chelsea did a spectacular job of against Spurs, but the fact that they did capitalize causes some worry. Harrop was left completely unmarked inside the box as the Blues just blew the entire coverage on a free kick. It goes without saying this is not ideal.

Most of the goals that Chelsea does give up are from set pieces, and opposing managers know that, so they’re able to take advantage. Just one little mistake when a lot is on the line could come back and bite Chelsea. Kerr was able to erase that error by the defense, but if she didn’t smash that header into the top right corner, the end of the match would have had a much different mood. Even though Spurs never saw a sight of goal before the Harrop header, Tottenham caught the Blues off-guard and that in and of itself is not something Hayes can live with going forward.

Despite that unfortunate collapse at the back that could have proved to be salient in deciding the title winners, the response is why this team has won back-to-back titles. Pernille Harder and Kerr are two world class attacking players who see a chance in front of them and know exactly how to act on it. It was Harder’s first goal involvement in any competition since the beginning of March due to an injury she was recovering from. Kerr has now scored in a whopping nine straight matches for Chelsea and her national team. The last time Kerr did not find the back of the net in a contest that she played in was in early February against Arsenal. Kerr’s instincts in front of goal are some of the best in the world, and giving her just a half-chance is most likely going to prove to be a disaster for the opposing team.

Hayes continues to have the right mindset when it comes to the title race too. Taking it game by game is what the Blues need to do because each contest has to be three points or they could have squandered their title hopes. Bottom of the table Birmingham City is next on the docket for Chelsea as the journey continues. Interim head coach Darren Carter and the rest of that squad will be coming off a massive win in their path to try to save their season. An impressive 3-1 win against a team in the middle of the table keeps the hopes alive until Birmingham has to battle the juggernaut that is the Blues.

Both teams have a lot on the line heading into Sunday. Birmingham has three matches left, and if it gets four points, and Leicester City drops all the available points with two contests left, it would stay in the WSL for the 13th straight season. The eyes of the Chelsea squad are right now not even focused on the title. Without a win against Birmingham, the Blues would most likely have lost their chances of the league title. Arsenal lost to Birmingham earlier in the season, 2-0, so taking the opposition for granted would be the wrong decision.