In the midst of some of the most unfavorable weather conditions, Chelsea utilized depth to the best of its ability to collect a critical three points at the top of a tight Women’s Super League table. There was nothing pretty about this game, it was simply which team wanted it more with the circumstances of the playing surface being more suitable for swimming than playing football.
Some counter-attacks were stalled, and at some points in the match, it could be said, the puddles on the field acted as another player. Given the weather in and around London on Sunday throughout the day, Brighton considered moving the game until a later date, and at the end of the day, that may have been the smarter choice given the impact the wet pitch had on the fluidity of the contest.
When the final whistle blew, the Blues were delighted that they were able to get this game in with all the other fixtures coming up in the schedule. Pernille Harder’s smashing strike and Bethany England’s tap-in finish were enough to seal the deal on one of the toughest three points the Blues will earn at all this season.
The Danish attacker has played in two league games for Chelsea this season, netting three goals to draw level with Fran Kirby for the team lead in the WSL. For competitive clubs like CFCW, winning every trophy up for grabs each season is insurmountable, but having three No. 1 strikers on the roster provides the coaching staff with no poor option when selecting the starting IX.
Four new players for Chelsea earned their first start of the season, including two center-backs to pair alongside the club’s mainstay, Millie Bright. The lack of time between games provided the opportunity to give the Blues’ top three attackers a start on the bench along with Kadeisha Buchanan, who received a full day of rest on the bench. It can be said that each player that was given their first opportunity in the starting IX in Crawley on Sunday evening took full advantage of the chance in front of them.
After the two-goal win over Brighton in a muddy west Sussex, Paul Green explained the rotation among the squad:
"“There are so many games in quick succession that you’ve got to rotate at some time. We didn’t get back from Paris until half five, six o’clock on Friday morning so we’d got one day training. The quality in our squad, everybody is capable of playing, they’re all senior internationals…We’ve got to make those changes and I thought the players coming in did well tonight and have come out with the result we wanted.”"
England looked like she was out to prove to her national team that they should not leave her out of the team again, continuously getting the correct positions to put the ball into the back of the net. Eve Perisset started in her second league game in a row for the Blues, demonstrating that she can be a valuable asset on set-pieces, putting the ball into a dangerous area that resulted in the breakthrough converted by England. Jess Carter and Dutch defender Aniek Nouwen collected some minutes under their belt for the first team, helping the Blues along with an in-form Ann-Katrin Berger to a second consecutive clean sheet in all competitions. From an inspiring win through plenty of obstacles, here are the lessons from Chelsea’s fourth straight league victory.
Depth and character define this Chelsea team
Early in the season, teams do not often get presented with challenges like the one the Blues encountered at Brighton. With a squad in need of lineup rotation, Chelsea was presented with not only defeating the Seagulls on the pitch but also the horrid weather that the referee somehow deemed to be playable before the match. Both Carter, and Niamh Charles who have had to claw their way into any sort of playing time during their Chelsea careers showed up for the Blues in critical ways under unforeseen conditions.
Charles has been one of the standouts of the season for the Blues, and after losing out on England’s European championship roster, Charles is going out and proving a point at the age of 23 with her ability to make seamless transitions from being positioned in the front or the back. Character has been a word that has floated around this team since it bounded back to defeat Manchester City following the opening match loss to Liverpool.
Since that day, CFCW has pushed not to be defined by that one match. This contest showed even more grit with the weather, the elation of the Champions League night in Paris, and new faces in the starting IX delivering on the big stage. There can be very few hiccups in the WSL for the rest of the season if Chelsea wants to seal an unheard-of fourth consecutive league title. Whether it is Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Pernille Harder, or Charles playing out on the wing, the drop-off in any position is the smallest it has been in the club’s history. The Albanian champions come to town on Wednesday, ready to disrupt the Blues’ momentum, but the response they gave in the conditions they saw themselves in against a team that constantly gives them trouble bestows Chelsea the attitude that it can take on any challenge coming its way at the moment.
Brighton & Hove Albion curse lifted
Before this match at Broadfield Stadium, the Blues had only two wins over the Seagulls in their last five meetings, including one that resulted in a one-goal victory at Kingsmeadow for BHAFC in February 2021. It had become known around the WSL that the Seagulls had Chelsea’s number, knowing how to slow down the Blues better than any of the mid-table teams in the English league ever could. On Sunday evening, the accumulation of rain was the only deterrent to Chelsea not putting up a few more goals on a club still trying to recoup following a summer filled with departures.
To say the “Brighton curse” has been lifted could be speaking too soon, but seeing the way they won in the environment they did assures Chelsea that when the Seagulls come around again in the schedule in early March, the ghosts have been lifted. At this point in the development of this team, the quality from top to bottom on the roster is far too great. Last season, Chelsea was missing Kerr, and Ji So-yun due to the Asian Cup against Brighton on the road, and ended up drawing 0-0. The dynamism on the wings, and versatility of a multitude of newcomers provide the Blues with options that they wish they had when it exited the Champions League before it had the chance to get started.
Denise is “Reddy” no matter the circumstances
When Emma Hayes announced the status of her health, the entire football world went Hayes their prayers and wondered what was next for the Blues. Everyone inside the club, including Hayes knew that everyone on the roster, and on the coaching staff is prepared to step up whenever the team needs it. The quality of coaches that the Blues have in their arsenal has been on display during the past few matches.
Reddy was no stranger to being the head on the sideline, leading clubs in both the NWSL and the Swedish top-flight during points in her career. Each of these matches since Hayes took a medical leave of absence has been challenging in its own sense. From traveling up to a packed house at Everton to play a club looking to rebound after last season to fighting off the Seagulls in swamp-like playing conditions, Reddy has pushed all the right buttons as the leader since play resumed following the international break.
That is not even counting the PSG contest in the Champions League. By now, people have to begin to give Reddy her much-deserved credit for the results that she has tallied up even with everything in Chelsea’s way. Even more barriers to success are coming Reddy’s way, but knowing that when Hayes someday decides to move on to the next chapter, this club has put together a culture that is going to stick for years and years to come.