The 2022/23 Champions League run by Emma Hayes and the Chelsea Women is one that will be talked about for years to come.
It was the 79′ at AOK Stadion on December 16, 2021. German international Tabea Waßmuth had just found the back of the net for the second time on the night. The heads were down, and the mood was subdue. 11 minutes later, the final whistle was blew, Chelsea were shockingly out of the Champions League before the calendar flipped to the new year.
It was a match to both forget and learn from at the same time. Wolfsburg blew the doors off of a team that made it all the way to the Champions League final the campaign prior. Emma Hayes’ Chelsea came out flat, and unprepared for a clash against the two-time Champions League winners. That was the moment in time where people questioned if this club had the ability to consistently compete with the best of the best in Europe. A response was necessary the following year, and Hayes’ side delivered.
With the addition of a veteran center back, a French international full back, and plenty of other talented midfielders, the Blues now had the depth to challenge the likes of Lyon and Barcelona. Right from the get-go, UEFA was not going to manufactured a path for the west Londoners to get back to where they belong.
On October 3, 2022, Hayes’ side found themselves in the “group of death” along with two of the eight quarterfinalists from last season in Paris-Saint Germain and Real Madrid. After allowing eight goals and finishing behind two teams in Group A in 2021, the Blues were the only team to concede less than five goals in group play. The club stood up to the challenge, throwing last season’s mistakes in the rearview mirror. Wolfsburg, and the west London outfit were the only unbeaten teams through the first six matches of the competition.
The group stage saw Hayes’ side walk into Paris without any fear in their eyes, and capturing all three points behind an acrobatic goal by Millie Bright herself. That visit to the French capital set the stage for the west London side going forward both domestically and in Europe. The Liverpool defeat was fully behind them as the team carried the confidence of a win like that into the rest of the campaign.
The 2022 UWCL group stage was the redemption the Chelsea Women desperately needed as the narrative in 2021 could now be dismissed.
Pernille Harder and Sam Kerr combined for seven goals against the Albanian side Vllanzia in match week two at Kingsmeadow. A few weeks later, Erin Cuthbert netted a game-sealing goal from way outside the box against Real Madrid. It was a redemption tour for the west Londoners as they stamped their foot as one of the best teams in Europe in a group that featured two potential contenders for a spot in the semifinals. It was not always perfect, even before the calendar flipped to 2023. The west London outfit drew Los Blancos on the road as the away side needed an own goal to secure a point in the Spanish capital. Two weeks later, Hayes’ team made up for a shaky display in Madrid.
Heading into the holiday break, the Blues throttled Gerard Precheur’s side at home 3-0 to close out group play at the top of the tree in Group A. It was the perfect way to send a message across Europe ahead of a three-week hiatus. Lauren James was sensational through her 62 minutes on the pitch under the lights, leading the team in interceptions on top of netting two goals within a seven minute span.