Chelsea Women: 3 takeaways from deflating 2-0 defeat at Manchester City

Lack of energy and urgency prove costly

When a team presses as high at City did in the first half, there has to be a purpose in each pass. Having the height and composure of a Bright in the middle of the back four was sorely missed be a time that gave the Man City attacking players far too much space in dangerous areas in the first half. Ann-Katrin Berger’s failed pass intended for Jess Carter led to the eventual opening goal by Swedish international Angeldahl.

Lyon nearly punished the west London outfit in the mid-week when Magdalena Eriksson gave the ball away far too easily. Berger did the same on Sunday afternoon, but this time, the opposition finished it off.

Carter’s hands were up calling for the pass on the wing, but the execution by Berger in her distribution from the back was non-existent. Chelsea Women watched as Hemp found Angeldahl just outside the box. The Swede took the space she was given and scored a goal that was defined by precision in the top left corner of the net.

The difference in energy levels was quite glaring. In a match where recovery time is limited, mistakes are going to add up. Whether it was a failure to close an opponent down or win 50-50 balls, the home side just looked like they had far more in the tank than their opponent did.

The urgency to clear the ball away from danger was just not there. City capitalized on the away side’s clear exhaustion on the defensive side of things. When going up against consistent pressure, this year’s backline has had the tendency to falter.

While the attack for the west Londoners is quite prolific when it counts, the defense has been extremely underwhelming all season. The west Londoners possessed the ball with confidence for the majority of the second half, but their inability to absorb pressure at times in the first half cost the Blues in the end.