Chelsea Women: 3 takeaways from narrow FA Cup semifinal win over Villa

It was not as straightforward as their WSL fixture a few weeks ago, but behind the sensational link-up play of Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr, Chelsea Women are through to the FA Cup final.

At this stage of the FA Cup, it could not have happened any other way. Coming off an international break that added yet another player to the injured list, Chelsea was prepared to head back to Aston Villa with a much larger hill to climb to get the result.

Like this team has all season with Emma Hayes at the helm, the Blues found a way to dig deep when it mattered the most to edge Carla Ward’s side by a goal to advance to the FA Cup final for the third consecutive campaign.

Being the hunted is not as simple nearly every domestic competition has to put an extensive amount of weight on the shoulders of the CFC players. Hayes’ side has been able to brush off all the excuses no matter the opponent and continue to push for as much silverware as possible.

Guro Reiten’s teasing left-footed cross found the head of Sam Kerr who netted her third goal in as many matches against Aston Villa. The Blues attack was not as clinical as it was a few weeks prior in the Women’s Super League, but when they needed it the most, the world’s most in-form striker finished the job.

On the defensive end, the squad was without Millie Bright, or Kadeisha Buchanan. Maren Mjelde and Magdalena Eriksson filled the voids effortlessly, constantly getting in the way of a Villa attack that had a purpose to them throughout periods of the second 45 minutes. Jess Carter and Eve Perisset covered the wings relatively well with the home side hitting the target on just four of their 18 shot attempts.

The triumph sets up a blockbuster final at Wembley on May 14 with the Blues taking on a Manchester United. It will be United’s first appearance in any major trophy final in the club’s history. Marc Skinner and his team while inexperienced know that they have the tools to take down a west London side who may still be balancing more than one competition at that point in the campaign.

Both teams experienced nervy semifinals to earn a spot in north west London in a month’s time. Skinner’s side needed an 89′ winner by former Tottenham striker Rachel Williams to oust Brighton and Hove Albion out of the competition despite a valiant effort.

Heading into the final stretch of the season, this is where a team like the Blues kick it to another level. Beating an opponent three times in a single season is a tough ask. Hayes’ side weathered the storm at times, doing just enough in a tournament where the result means far more than the display on the pitch. Here are three takeaways from a well-deserved away victory under less than ideal circumstances for the west London outfit.

3 takeaways from Chelsea Women’s another successful trip to Bescot Stadium.

1. Villa cannot outlast the Blues’ experience in end of season cup ties

Compared to the match two weeks ago in the WSL, the Villains challenged the Blues far more often. Those four shots on target do not describe just how much Ward’s team took the game to the away side toward the end of the second half. Following the goal, the Villains took the match to the west Londoners, making the new-look back four come up with blocks inside the penalty box. No matter what the home side did offensively, the Blues had an answer for it.

There was never a point, even when Villa struck the post that Hayes’ side looked out of control. Eriksson and Carter provided the composure in the back while Zecira Musovic did what she needed to do when the ball made it past the gold kits. Teams can test the Blues in more than one way in the final two months of the season, but under Hayes, this squad has continuously found a way to do just enough to achieve the result.

It is the relentlessness of the Blues that stands out above all from this contest. In a competition where the margin of error is slim to none, the west London outfit could not afford to gift the opponent anything. Just one moment of magic is oftentimes good enough. The Blues looked even more locked in to prevent a breakthrough when Kerr found the back of the net. Villa is a talented side that was going to trouble the west London outfit at some point. It is how the squad responded that mattered. Ward had limited solutions, and in the club’s first semifinal appearance in the FA Cup, the Villains simply could not outclass the country’s most experienced side.

2. Magdelena Eriksson shines once again in the midlands

The defense has to be the star of the show from Sunday afternoon. Coming off of two disappointing results with her national team, the Swedish international Magdalena Eriksson pieced together yet another world-class display in defense. Without the best two defenders on the Hayes’ side, the west London outfit needs players like Eriksson to step up in more ways than they have previously.

The 29-year-old left central defender was everywhere, timing tackles perfectly, and coming up with vital blocks as Villa mounted pressure down the stretch. Her performances have been heavily criticized throughout this last season under contract with the club, but since Bright has moved out of the lineup, the Swede has been massive for a team that needs that kind of defensive solidity to carve out results. In the 35′, Kirsty Hanson’s cross was heading toward the feet of Rachel Daly. Eriksson put her body right in front of Daly, blocking a shot that was bound for the back of the net if not for the intervention of the Swede. Those are the kinds of plays Eriksson was making all night.

While there was numerous shouts for player of the match including Eriksson’s partner out wide in defense, Carter, the Swedish central defender earned the honors. She put herself in the right position nearly every time, cutting out crosses and frustrating the Villa frontline over and over again. As a team with over 30 goals in the domestic league, the frontline has found a way through the opposition’s defense in eight straight contest before encountering the Blues two weeks ago. Eriksson has been critical in those two clean sheets, rewriting her narrative in the final few months of what could be her final run in west London.

3. Pernille Harder makes the matchday squad for first time since November

This had nothing to do with the match itself, but when the lineup was announced an hour before kick-off, the chances of defeating Barcelona just increased quite a bit. Even though Harder never made it on the pitch, her name just being on the lineup sheet is a massive boost for this team. Her elite playmaking ability and stunning speed bring a whole new dimension to the west London frontline.

The Danish international Pernille Harder made it into Hayes’ squad for the first time since the 3-1 win over Man United on Nov 6. After suffering a hamstring injury during the international break against Switzerland, the Dane has been working intensively to get back on the pitch prior to the World Cup this summer.

Harder did not make it into the most recent Danish national team side for the two matches against Japan and Sweden, but according to the club, she has been progressing. Since Harder moved from Germany to England, it has always been two steps forward, three steps back. Most of this is due to injuries out of her control, but as the season reaches the final stages seeing Harder back in the squad is massive.

With players continuing to pick up knocks, it is about time that some of the personnel on the injured list find a way back. The smile on her face as she walked into the stadium tells the whole story. Harder is back, and the lack of depth up top may be coming to an end sooner rather than later.