With a hiatus ahead of Chelsea’s next fixture away at Leicester City, Emma Hayes and the Chelsea Women put together a performance defined by composure, defeating Real Madrid 2-0 at Kingsmeadow.
Through a powerful Sophie Ingle header and some Erin Cuthbert magic in the second half, the Blues brushed Los Blancos aside, creating a five-point gap between them and the rest of the pack in Group A. In three matches in the Champions League, CFC has collected 11 goals while shutting out each opponent, and allowing just four total shots on its net in the process.
Over the last seven contests, opponents have managed to score just two goals as the defense continues to move in the right direction following a shaky beginning of the season. During this time last year in the Champions League, Chelsea allowed four goals through three matches, drawing Wolfsburg at three apiece, and skating by Juventus by a goal on the road.
After the result, Emma Hayes reflected on the opposition, and what this means going forward:
"“I felt that it was a top European game with a Real Madrid team very narrow in their defending, and very organized. They made it difficult for us to play between them, but I thought we struggled in the final third with our execution, and decision-making. The second half was a different story, we worked the right opportunities at the right time. There was a maturity in the performance in the second half that pleased me.”"
Whether it is the addition of the stability of Kadeisha Buchanan as the right centerback or the growth of Cuthbert or the emergence of Lauren James, the Blues are miles ahead of where they were last season. Just five games are left before the winter break including two Champions League matches, but with the triumph over Real Madrid, the distance that Chelsea has created should more than guarantee it a spot in the quarterfinals. Six different players created two or more shot-creating actions compared to the three for Los Blancos.
It is not just the goals that the Blues are putting away, it is in the ways that they are doing it. Last season, Chelsea scored just seven goals from corners in 39 competitive matches, but following Ingle’s thumping header, the Blues have now accumulated a total of eight in 11 matches. Through 90 minutes, Cuthbert was the workhorse for CFC, battling in the middle of the pitch against Caroline Weir, and continuously finding herself getting up after being tackled into the ground.
The Scottish international demonstrated sheer grit on Wednesday night, touching the ball the most for the Blues on top of completing four tackles, good for second-most on the team. Her goal may have been a little bit lucky, but for the second straight game, and the third time this season, Cuthbert has found the back of the net from outside the box. Cuthbert earned that goal with the performance she put out against a compact Real Madrid side seeking to head out of Kingsmeadow with one point. With the Blues now secure at the top of Group A, here are the takeaways from yet another memorable European encounter at Kingsmeadow:
Chelsea’s defense starting to build back reputation
When Chelsea let in two set-piece goals in the opening weekend in a loss to Liverpool there was no question the defense had a long way to go. With Buchanan coming in from Lyon, many people assumed that she would slide right in alongside Millie Bright and captain Magdalena Eriksson nearly seamlessly. That did not happen right out of the gate as the Blues were still trying to figure out her true position in the backline. The first four goals that CFCW gave up this season in the league were all from set-pieces, and since then no team has scored from a corner or set-piece.
The unity and collectiveness of the Blues’ defense have been evident in the past few matches, especially against Los Blancos under the lights on Wednesday. No goals were conceded through three Champions League contests this season compared to the four Hayes’ side let in within the first two European fixtures of the 2021/22 campaign.
The surprise of the season, Niamh Charles has emerged as a quality wingback for the Blues, continuously denying the opposition progress down the flank. Charles combined for the most tackles on the team and was tied for first in Hayes’ team for interceptions en route to a win over Real Madrid. Buchanan now feels more comfortable making those runs going forward, and sparking the Chelsea attack as one of the centerbacks on the wing.
The entire defense stepped in when they needed to in order to keep Ann-Katrin Berger’s job as simple as possible. Most of the time, there is not much work to be done on the defensive side of things for Chelsea, but when they are called upon, the Blues are now more than ready to confront the obstacles at hand.
Class and quality take over in the end
It was not the most perfect of starts in their third Champions League match of the season, but as the chances continued to go array, the Blues never let that affect them. Fran Kirby’s shot in the opening seconds of the match was deflected wide by the goalkeeper and appeared to inform the crowd that a goal early in the match was bound to happen. In the end, it didn’t, and when the second half came around, Hayes added two dynamic players into the mix, including Lauren James who caused the left-hand side of the opposition’s defense fits almost immediately following her inclusion.
Hayes even said at the end of the match that she thought last season’s team would have been frustrated after a first half like the one on Wednesday. It is the experience of being there before and knowing what it feels like to come out on the losing side of things that makes this team realize matches are won over an entire 90 minutes. To be able to have Johanna Rytting Kaneryd in the starting IX, and present an opportunity to Fran Kirby to get back into regular minutes for the first time since the West Ham United match all the way back in September is a luxury this team loaded with talent possesses.
Real Madrid is going to need to add even more talent like Weir in order to give teams like Chelsea a consistent challenge, and for the Spanish side, there is no break with the Blues up again in the Champions League in the fourth match week. Hayes even had the chance to give an academy player, Ashanti Akpan her first opportunity on the bench at the senior level. Serbian international, Jelena Cankovic is still waiting to make an impact on a regular basis, giving Hayes even more avenues to demonstrate how much depth this team truly has during this campaign.
This time around, the Blues mean business in the Champions League
It is no secret that Chelsea wants to make it back to the Champions League final, and following the disappointment that was last season, the Blues are not just content with being in the group stage of the most prestigious European football competition. In arguably the best group in the Women’s Champions League, Chelsea has put together a show even with Hayes on the sideline for two of the contests.
Pernille Harder’s availability has been quite limited this season, but her loss has not been felt in the slightest over the last two fixtures. The Blues are the only team in the Champions League this season to have not conceded a goal. Last season, PSG was the only team to not have allowed a goal in the group stage, and while Didier Olle-Nicolle’s side was eliminated in the semifinals, their group was by far the weakest of the bunch.
11 goals scored through three goals is second-best in the Women’s Champions League behind only Barcelona. Chelsea could improve on finishing in front of the net at times, but when the Blues score goals is almost always the perfect time, taking the momentum right out of the opposition. Three more matches against teams that the Blues have already beaten await in the Champions League, and with a weekend off, Hayes and her coaching staff can sit back and know that Chelsea is sitting at the top of every competition right now.