Chelsea shocked in opener once again: Lessons in defeat
Plenty of football left, the breakthroughs are coming
Even though Chelsea came up just short, and lacked that finishing touch when it needed it the most to kick off the WSL season, there were plenty of positives in the attacking third. Arguably the Blues’ most explosive player with the ball at her feet, Pernille Harder was a late scratch from the starting IX, picking up an injury in warm-ups. Hayes has to shift everything around at the last minute with Harder sitting on the bench, knowing that nobody on the roster can replace what the Danish does to give backline nightmares on a consistent basis.
From Erin Cuthbert’s miss wide left in the first half to Guro Reiten not being able to bring the ball in at the top of the box, Chelsea was on the brink of completely turning the game on its head. Lauren James’ craftiness on the flank and quickness with the ball at her feet gave glimpses of individual brilliance that has been added to the Blues this season. Four offside calls against the Blues, and four corner kicks that failed to create anything highlighted the day Chelsea was having.
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The Kirby and Kerr connection is back, and with more time on the pitch together this season, the two could be back to linking up like they have done since Kerr signed for the Blues in the winter of 2020. A split-second moment of brilliance in the box for Chelsea would have changed the game entirely, but to think that this attack is going to be stalled even longer could not be further from the truth.