Rebounding after a loss: Previewing Chelsea vs Man City

Nobody would have expected that Manchester City and Chelsea would be sitting in seventh and eighth place in the table after just one game, respectively. Not only did Emma Hayes’ side receive a shock away from home, but Gareth Taylor and his new-look Manchester City also dropped all three points against an Aston Villa side looking to take advantage of its signing of one of the National Women’s Soccer League’s most prolific finishers, Rachel Daly from the Houston Dash.

Despite both of these clubs beginning their campaigns in unexpected ways, the two played each other a total of four times last season, including two incredibly competitive cup finals. While the Blues let their one-goal halftime lead in the FA WSL Cup slip away, Chelsea rebounded in the season’s final contest at Wembley, defeating the Citizens in an extra-time thriller where Sam Kerr netted the winner in the 99’.

Despite the Blues’ dominance against most WSL opponents, during the past few seasons, Manchester City has won nine and drawn eight of its 30 total matches against the Blues in all competitions. The good news for CFCW is that the two players that scored all three goals to propel Taylor’s side over the top in the Conti Cup final are no longer donning the sky blue. Despite that, Lauren Hemp, and Jamaican international Khadija “Bunny” Shaw always find ways to give the Blues’ backline headaches with their pace and relentlessness on the ball.