Lauren James’s Chelsea masterclass: takeaways from Villa win

Liverpool match feels like years ago

Surprisingly, just over a month ago, Chelsea began its season with a gutting loss to newly promoted Liverpool on the road. Since then, the Blues have outscored their opponents, 22 to three. From Harder getting injured in the warm-up against the Reds to the result at the end of the day, the first match week of the season was not one that CFC wanted to remember. Through experience and mental toughness, the Blues found a way to come out of the tunnel even stronger than before.

They used that loss to fuel them toward a more positive future. This team knows that it cannot change the past, and right now, the Chelsea Women are on a path to inform critics why this club has hoisted the WSL title the last three seasons. Despite the fact that the Blues’ matchup with the Reds was just about five weeks ago, the atmosphere around the club makes it seem like it was an event of the distant past.

Last season’s matchup against Villa at Kingsmeadow was as memorable as it gets, and while this year’s edition had some twists, and turns, the Blues made it clear who is the superior team. Against Liverpool, CFC did not finish the job, coming up with costly fouls in the box, and failing to execute in the attack when Liverpool responded with its first. The Blues have now found a way to react to the opposition’s counter-blow, demonstrating the tremendous growth in such a short period of time.