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

Behind to two quality first half strikes, Gareth Taylor and Manchester City shook up the Women’s Super League title race, leaving Chelsea Women asking questions once again.

It was Emma Hayes’ side fourth game within a 14-day period. As the season begins to head into the final stretch, the brutal month of March seemed to have finally done damage to the west London side.

Taylor’s Man City had a full week of recovery following its defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup quarterfinals while Chelsea Women had just four days between matches. Some say it is an excuse, but at the end of the day, you cannot understate the impact that it had on the match. Three of the last four matches have been away from home. That alone is a difficult task not taking into account the turnaround time between each of them.

Right from the get-go, Taylor’s side jumped on Hayes’ team. Despite two questionable changes following two goals by the home side, the Blues were never able to create consistent chances to challenge Ellie Roebuck between the sticks.

Millie Bright’s absence without a doubt had its affect, especially with Aniek Nouwen out on loan in Italy for the rest of the season. Hayes made just two changes from the mid-week clash in southeast France. Within the first 14 minutes, Chelsea Women forced Roebuck to make two saves, but from then on in the first half, the high-press of City overwhelmed the away side.

Just like the defeat in the Conti Cup final, there is no time to sulk in the loss with critical matches in the league, FA Cup, and Champions League coming up.

Lauren Hemp, and the surprise goal scorer Filippa Angeldahl put CFC far too deep in a hole just 45 minutes in that a potential comeback seemed out of the cards. A victory at the Academy Stadium would have put the west London outfit in complete control of the title race.

The loss puts the Hayes’ squad down to third in the table on 37 points, but being just one point behind with a game in hand still keeps the title in the hands of the three-time defending champions. Seven matches remain for Chelsea Women in the 2022/23 WSL campaign. If the club comes out on top in each of them, the WSL title will be staying in west London for the fourth consecutive year.

Being a top side in European football means having to deal with the lack of recovery time. Hayes and the rest of the club know that. Sometimes the weight of every match begins to accumulate, and as the month of March nears its end, this City match was a perfect example of that.

With Bright potentially coming back from her knee injury in time for Thursday’s battle with Lyon, the memory of everyone at the club has to be short. No matter how you cut it, it is three points dropped, but when it is all said and done, Hayes and the Blues still have the title in their own hands.

3 takeaways from just the second league loss for Chelsea Women this season.

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.

Confusing first-half substitutions

After Hemp’s left-footed strike hit the back of the net, it was evident Chelsea Women had to shift the momentum back into their favor. Within six minutes of Hemp’s goal, Hayes decided to make two changes which included removing her most dangerous player with the ball at her feet. The west London side had not gotten a foot hold in the match, and before the halftime whistle, the Blues showed their cards.

After the match, Hayes commented on the early substitutions, stating,

"Sometimes you stimulate a response, particularly from a losing position. Often managers can be criticized if you’re 2-0 down you don’t do much. I think it helped a little bit to bring freshness into the wide spaces and losing a midfielder."

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd replaced Lauren James on the right wing while Niamh Charles took Sophie Ingle’s place as Hayes aimed for more firepower going forward. Bringing in a forward player like Charles makes a whole lot of sense, but taking off James before the half-time whistle even blew is a confusing move.

Three away games in seven days is quite a daunting task, but the 36′, is not the time to replace a player of James’ caliber. Hayes has been a serial winner for a reason. Her brilliance is hard to ignore, but this time around it is difficult to understand why she pulled two of her players off immediately after the second goal. James had touched the ball just 11 times during her time between the white lines.

She could have been looking forward to the Lyon match during the mid-week, but it did not seem like James was too pleased with her exit as she walked straight into the dressing room. The CFC manager knew her time needed to respond to two quick goals, and in the long run, those substitutions made a difference. Hayes backed her choices post-match despite the questions that came her way. Many may not have agreed with her tactical decisions, but Hayes clearly believed it was the right thing to do at that particular moment.

Depth was a strength in September, now it is a major problem

Before the 2022/23 campaign began, everyone in the football world was talking about the new found depth that this west London side possessed. Jelena Cankovic, Rytting Kaneryd, Eve Perisset, and Kadeisha Buchanan were brought in over the summer to add to a roster that lifted two major trophies at the end of 2022. Injuries combined with a number of outgoings during the January transfer window created a squad with little depth, especially on the defensive side of things.

Erin Cuthbert is clearly still struggled with her hamstring, having to come off for Jessie Fleming in the 80′. Bright’s absence created a near impossible situation in the backline as Hayes was going into the match without a replacement center back. Jess Carter could have moved there in a formation shift, but this was a game where Nouwen could have been given a chance to see what she could do against a top WSL side.

If Sam Kerr is struggling up top, the Blues have nobody to turn to for a replacement since Bethany England took her talents to north London during the winter transfer window. In many matches throughout the season, this was an issue that would not be exposed. Bright is rumored to be back into the fold at the Bridge on Thursday which would be a massive help to a club that was clearly out of gas in its third road match in four games.