For the second straight season running, the Chelsea Women start off on the wrong foot away from Kingsmeadow as they shockingly drop all three points to newly promoted Liverpool.
On a day in the Women’s Super League that was filled with upsets, it was only fitting that the Blues received a much-needed wake-up call for the team they may never have expected from the newest member of the WSL. Two penalties by the American forward Katie Stengal in the second half left the Blues stunned, as CFC controlled most of the ball but failed to create quality opportunities. When Fran Kirby netted a penalty in the third minute of the match, the Blues looked like they were going to continue to add to their lead.
Just 17 minutes later, Kirby found Kerr over the top, and the Australian found the back of the net with a world-class volley on her right foot. A controversial offside call by the assistant referee overruled the goal, and instead of the Blues’ adding another one at a crucial point in the contest, the Reds’ were still very much in the game. An unfortunate handball in the box by Millie Bright, and a strong tackle on a Liverpool counter by Kadeisha Buchanan cost Chelsea all three points, epitomizing the idea that it was simply not the Blues’ day at Preston Park.
All of the anticipation and build-up for months before the season with kick-off being at Stamford Bridge to Chelsea having to travel nearly four hours north to face the newest club in the WSL are two completely different animals. The last time the Blues lost their first match of the season, Chelsea would go on to win two domestic trophies, and with Manchester City on the horizon, the mental fortitude of this group will be tested once again.
Following the defeat, Emma Hayes expressed her thoughts on the match, stating:
"“Firstly congratulations to Liverpool. They did their game plan well. We knew about the long throw from Campbell…The second penalty we should defend that better. I thought going forward we weren’t good enough. Nothing went where it was supposed to go. We’re disappointed but we go. They play a 5-4-1 and they don’t come out. They have maximized the opportunities. We couldn’t hit a barn door today.”"
More technology is needed in the Women’s Super League
If the WSL had used the tools the Premier League used, Kerr’s offside goal would have been overturned, and her frustrating day on the pitch could have looked a lot different. According to the Times, the WSL is going to be launching a VAR-light system at the start of the 2023/24 season, but the offside technology and number of cameras will not be of the same quality as the English top-flight. Despite the Blues possibly deserving to lose, or drop points against Liverpool, a blatant mistake that would be changed with the same technology in the men’s game just emphasizes the fact that the women’s game has a long way to go.
Kerr’s face after the flag went up said it all, as it was the second time in the span of just two minutes that offside was called, and Kerr had timed her run perfectly. No offside lines in the WSL are in the cards going forward, and if this game does not send a message to the league that it needs to change something, it needs to look itself in the mirror.
The increased competitiveness in the league this season is no doubt a step in the right direction for viewership, but when the decisions that are not made by the players and managers directly affect the result of the contest, the integrity of the game is compromised. Even in the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States, controversial calls throughout important contests have been the topic of discussion the entire season as the league heads into the postseason.
Chelsea’s Kadeisha Buchanan could make a run at Player of the Season
Before the foul in the box late in the game that arguably could have gone either way, the Canadian international, Kadeisha Buchanan was without question one of the best players on the pitch. Before the season began, some said that the five-time Champions League-winning center-back was the key for Chelsea to get over the hump on the European stage.
Whether it was with timely tackles, or her ability to find her teammate in the right position, Buchanan gave the WSL a preview of how difficult it is going to be to score on the Blues in open play with the former Lyon star roaming in the middle of the back-three. She made a darting run in the second half, chipping a ball over the top of the defense, but it ended up being too strong in the end.
Hayes could not ask for a more dominant defense than Bright, Magdalena Eriksson, and Buchanan in the middle of all of it. Giving up two penalties in the second half was uncharacteristic of a Chelsea back line that did not concede a single penalty during the last season’s WSL campaign. Sometimes a defender is judged by a single play that happened during a game that cost the team in the end. Buchanan may have given up the penalty that sealed the deal for the Reds, but her activity in the back makes her, if not the most important defender on the roster, the most critical piece to ultimate success going forward.
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.
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.