It may not have been the most perfect performance in front of the net in the Blues’ first match without Emma Hayes on the sideline this season, but it was enough to get the job done on the road. With a quick turnaround ahead for Chelsea, the Blues found a way to snatch all three points against Everton behind two goals from the returning Danish star attacker, Pernille Harder. Chelsea accumulated its season high in shots with 22 in a sold-out Walton Hall Park, but the final touch was the obstacle between the Blues and a more decisive victory.
From Niamh Charles’ dazzling run through three defenders to put the cherry on top of Chelsea’s third straight Women’s Super League victory to the quality crosses played into the box from the flanks, the Blues put together a dominating outing on the road despite the separation between the two sides only being one goal heading into stoppage time. Kadeisha Buchanan’s own goal within a few minutes of the second half put the Toffees back into the match, but the quality linkup play between four Blues led to Harder finding her way to the penalty spot to bring the momentum back in Chelsea’s favor.
Following her first day out in the WSL this season, Paul Green gave his take on Harder’s outing on Sunday afternoon:
"We missed her in the early part of the season but coming back and having a player of her quality, it’s great to call on her services…Her first goal was a great team move, which she finished off really well and she showed great composure for the penalty, which was a crucial moment in the game…We’re really delighted for Pernille and we look forward to her hopefully staying fit and healthy for the rest of the season.”"
Even without Fran Kirby in the team against Everton, the creativity of the attacking three along with Guro Reiten in the form she is in on the left flank makes the task for the opposition’s backline nearly insurmountable. Lauren James adds a completely new dimension of dynamism that this Blues’ attack had not had last season, and in games where CFC can’t seem to find the breakthrough, James is going to be one of those keys to unlock the backline in order to snatch a result when the Blues need it the most.
Harder quite possibly could have had a hat-trick in the first half with all of the balls played into her, and if this was not her first game of the season, it could have been a goal-scoring display for the ages. Behind the tremendous away supporters, the Blues jumped into third in the WSL table, behind Arsenal and Manchester United on goal difference.
Set-pieces continue to be the demise of Chelsea, being their own enemies, and preventing the team from earning just its second clean sheet of the campaign. That makes it six straight goals dating back to the International Champions Cup against Lyon that the Blues have conceded from a dead ball situation.
Whether it is careless fouls inside and outside the box, or failure to pick up marks in the box, Chelsea needs to find a way to clean up these preventable issues before the Champions League fully gets underway. The last non-dead ball goal given up by the Blues was in the waning minutes of the FA Cup final against Manchester City in May. On the surface, CFC has three of the most talented center-backs in the world, and in open play the collaboration and organization are clear, but it all seems to be forgotten at least once during a set-piece scenario.
Even with the defensive lapse, the build-up play from the Blues was top-class. Without Hayes on the sideline, Chelsea did not skip a beat in the attack, continuing to push forward and whip dangerous balls across the box for the recipients around the penalty marker. Harder getting back in the goals was very much needed following her set-back in warm-ups of the opening contest against Liverpool. Reiten keeps building off her career season, becoming a must-start player on the left wing for the west Londoners, putting in some of the best deliveries of the afternoon. The Blues take a pause in the WSL for now and begin their long-awaited season in the Champions League filled with positivity and momentum.