Chelsea Women: Five of the best matches from the 2022/2023 campaign

4. Chelsea v Barcelona (Second Leg), UEFA Women’s Champions League

Date: April 27, 2023

Venue: Camp Nou

Result: 1-1 draw (Barcelona wins 2-1 on aggregate)

Heading to the toughest place to play in women’s football, nobody gave the Chelsea Women any shot. Down by just one goal with just 90 minutes remaining in the Champions League semifinal, Hayes manufactured a brilliant game plan to frustrate the Spanish powerhouse.

The Blues walked into a place that was packed with over 72,000 fans and ended Barcelona’s 80-game home wins streak which dated all the way back to February 2019. In the first leg, the team struggled to string passes together, but after even more preparation on the training pitch, the west Londoners’ saw a 14 percent increase in their pass accuracy.

They did not have a single shot attempt on target in the first 45 minutes, but Hayes’ side stayed firm in the back, holding Barca scoreless heading into the second half. It was all about keeping the home team out of the back of the net.

If they could do that, Hayes had players like Harder and Lauren James off the bench to go for the game-tying goal. Just one moment of individual brilliance from Caroline Graham Hanson changed the tie. Reiten equalized on the night a few minutes later, demonstrating the kind of character the world knows Hayes’ teams tend to have.

The final 45 minutes of the first leg was a tough watch for any Chelsea Women’s fan, but when the teams shifted to Spain, the girls in blue were not phased in the slightest. They remained mentally strong against arguably the most talented team in women’s football. This match ultimately concluded the team’s Champions League campaign, but it had to make this list due to the quality of opposition and what it means for this club going into next season.