After what was a week filled with mourning, and turnover in the United Kingdom, football is back underway. For Emma Hayes and the Blues, their first contest against West Ham United was moved to Kingsmeadow on September 28, with another game at Stamford Bridge soon to be decided.
The Chelsea Women now have to refocus after a shocking event across the country as they now take on the newly promoted Liverpool Football Club in the first WSL match at Prenton Park in two years to kick off the regular season. The two have not played each other since mid-February of 2020 with Chelsea winning the last 12 including six of those wins by three or more goals.
Reds’ captain Niamh Fahey, and former Blues’ head coach Matt Beard know they are now back in the league where this team belongs. Liverpool has not won the WSL title since the 2013/14 season, and after a relatively dominant campaign in the Championship and a motivating win against West Ham in the preseason, the Reds are not going to be a walk in the park for a club that has aspirations far beyond the domestic competitions.
Liverpool allowed just 11 goals in the Championship behind the club’s Players’ Player of the season, goalkeeper Rachael Laws. But the Reds’ backline is going to be ready for a reality check with its first match back in the big-time against one of the best women’s clubs in the world.