It was honours even at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night as Chelsea managed to stop their losing streak against the always strong Barcelona.
Chelsea vs Barcelona has become an annual tradition in the European football calendar in recent years. The two sides have met in the last three semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL), with Chelsea only winning one game as the Catalonian side progressed each time, ending up as the eventual winners twice.
A 1-1 draw felt fair in the end as neither side looked as though they wanted to push too hard for the winner in a cagey second half. With both teams looking strong so far this season and continuing their unbeaten start in Europe, this was a matchup we’re likely to see again.
The Lineups
CHE: Peng; Bronze, Björn, Girma, Baltimore; Walsh; Carpenter, Kaptein, Cuthbert, Thompson; Beever-Jones
BAR: Coll; Batlle, Paredes, Leon, Brugts; Bonmatí, Aleixandri, Putellas; Graham Hansen, Pajor, Pina
The Action
There was no feeling-out process as both teams came out swinging, looking to make their mark on the game early. Barcelona flaunted their technical ability as they played through the Chelsea press with ease and almost went ahead early after a lofted Caroline Graham Hansen pass put Ewa Pajor through, but an excellent block from Naomi Girma saved the home side.
Despite this, it was Chelsea who landed the first punch in spectacular style. Ellie Carpenter snuck in behind Barca’s high line with a perfectly timed run, and she struck it hard and early enough to beat Cata Coll at her near post as it smashed the top of the net.
Soon after, Barcelona had the ball in the net, but it was rightly ruled offside as Pajor couldn’t time her run in behind.
It didn’t take long for the Spanish champions to find their footing. Pajor showed her class when, after some lacklustre defending from a corner, she snatched at a loose ball and put it straight in the top corner, hitting the ball first time, not giving Livia Peng a chance.
As the game settled after a frantic start, Chelsea looked unfazed by the equaliser as Alyssa Thompson and Sandy Baltimore caused havoc down the visitors’ right-hand side. They should’ve gone ahead late in the half as Aggie Beever-Jones met a Thompson layoff with a poke that got under Coll, but it was cleared well.
Any momentum was completely killed, however, as the game had to be stopped near the end of the half for seven minutes due to technical issues with the broadcast. When they got back underway, Chelsea caught the Barca backline sleeping on multiple occasions, but to no avail, and it was 1-1 at halftime.
It was clear that neither manager was happy with such a frantic first half, as the second was far more sedate, with neither side wanting to go behind. Barcelona dominated large stretches of possession, pinning Chelsea back in their own third but still unable to create anything clear-cut.
When Chelsea finally got out of their own third, Erin Cuthbert looked positive and immediately played a line-breaking pass that Carpenter gets on the end of, and her shot from distance whistled past the post.
There was nearly a dream entrance to the game for Catarina Macario when she replaced Beever-Jones; her first touch ended in the back of the net as she headed home from a deep free kick, but it was ruled out for a very tight offside.
It was Carpenter who should have put the game to bed for Chelsea in the 80th minute, though. She combined well in the box with Macario, who put it on a plate for her a few yards out, but the defender managed to pull her shot just wide from agonisingly close range.
There were no last-minute heroics after a quiet second half in West London as both sides took a point, continuing their respective unbeaten streaks in this season’s competition.
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From Barcelona to Chelsea: The Kiera Walsh effect
When the Blues signed the England international last January, lots of eyebrows were raised. Not because of any questions over her quality, but due to Chelsea’s hoard of talent already at the club, especially in midfield.
There was never any doubt that she would improve them, but on nights like this it really shows just how important a signing she really is and why she may help them finally achieve European glory. On the ball she was the metronome of the side, calmly recycling possession and not getting flustered under pressure: hardly a surprise from someone who spent so long at Barcelona.
While she may get less attention for her off the ball work, it was there that she really made her mark tonight. Tasked with marking three-time Balon D’or winner Aitana Bonmati, she spent the 90 minutes hounding her former teammate and not giving her a second to think It’s a near impossible task keeping her quiet, but Walsh did an excellent job and was one of their best players on the night.
Chelsea rue missed chances
It’s becoming a real pattern of Chelsea’s season that in the games they don’t win, their finishing is to blame. Ellie Carpenter will certainly be kicking herself after being gifted a perfect opportunity to finish Barcelona off late on, but her miss isn’t what cost Chelsea the three points, instead it’s they inability to make the most of their strong first half.
The first 45 is the best they have looked against the Catalans since their first leg in 2024. They managed to absorb the early pressure and had their own sustained periods of dominance, and with Carpenters brilliant finish it looked like it could be a historic night for the blues.
But some sloppy defending from a corner and not managing to create anything clear cut from all their possession meant that all that hard work went down the drain as Barca looked far stronger in the second half and it ebbed out to a quiet draw.
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Both Chelsea’s and Barcelona’s depth are signs of things to come
It’s nothing new to state that Barcelona and Chelsea are two of the best sides in Europe; there’s a reason they’ve faced each other in the semi-finals of this competition for the last three seasons.
It wouldn’t surprise anyone if they meet again later in the tournament, but if the draw allows, it’s looking increasingly likely that the destination may be the final in Oslo, primarily down to the strength of both teams’ depth. Look at both teams benches: Barcelona brought on wonderkid Vicky Lopez and while Chelsea had Cat Macario come on, left Lauren James and Millie Bright on the bench, while Sam Kerr didn’t even make the bench as she recovers from her long-term injury.
There aren’t any teams in Europe who can compete with these two purely on talent, so this will very likely not be the last time we see this matchup this season.