Action from Chelsea v Manchester City - Picture by Paul Lagan
By Paul Lagan at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 3 v Man City 0 (3-2)
Chelsea produced the performance and result of the season to overcome a 2-0 deficit to oust Manchester City 3-2 to propel the west Londoners into the semi-final of the Champions League.
Goals from Sandy Baltimore, Natalie Bjorn and ultimately the decider from Mayra Ramirez – all in the first half knocked the stuffing out of the beleaguered visitors, but they still showed great fortitude and just a goal could have taken the match in to extra-time.
This was knockout football at it's finest with a large dose of jeopardy thrown in that captivated from the first whistle to the last.
Chelsea had the better players on the night and more of them, City were just below par and bereft of numbers on the bench to call on.
Chelsea could and should have scored on three minutes when Lauren James broke free on the left. She cut into the box, sent in a low left-footer that was cleared for a corner.
Lucy Bronze, on five minutes tried a cross-field ball, but it fell short and snapped up by Kerolin, who passed to in-running Kerstin Casparij. Her goal-bound shot went straight into the midriff of Hannah Hampton.
City looked dangerous on the break as did the Blues.
Nathalie Bjorn rattled the upright on 10 minutes as the early goal for the home side seemed destined to elude them.
Sensationally, they got the goal, albeit on 14 minutes. Brilliant controlled possession play, ended up with Lucy Bronze flicking the ball with the outside of her right foot. The ball beat Khiara Keating but hit her right post. But Sandy Baltimore was following up and unleashed a venomous left-footer that smashed over the gall , into the side netting to reduce the deficit to one goal.
Keira than had a snatch shot saved by Keating as the away side looked vulnerable at every Chelsea attack.
But when going forward – or in the case of Millie Bright giving a cheap goal kick away, Mary Fowler had a shot on goal, that Hampton did well to dive to her left to keep out.
City's chances were based on poor passing by the Blues, giving the ball away in a key position just outside their own area.
This gave City some respite as the Blues' pace decreased slightly.
Chelsea had a shout for a penalty on 29 minutes when Erin Cuthbert bulldozed her way into the box. But the challenge on her was ignored by Portugal referee Catarina Campos.
Vivianne Miedema hacked the ball off the line on 33 minutes following a James corner that was headed goal-bound by Bjorn.
Last-ditch blocking saved City on 37 minutes after Mayra Ramirez went on a lung-busting run, but her byline cross was kept out just or a corner.
But from the resultant kick Bjorn got her just rewards for her efforts and powered home a non-stop\[able header to put the Blues 2-0 up and level 2-2 on aggregate.
Incredibly two minutes before the break, Chelsea hit number three and it came from a horror mistake by City who gave the ball away halfway in their own half. James nicked it, hit the byline, cut the ball back and Ramirez scuffed the ball into the net from close range.
Keating produced a brilliant save to thwart Ramirez who bullied the city defender, before cutting back. Her left-foot shot was brilliantly blocked by then goalkeeper – just about keeping her side in the tie.
There were no changes by either side at half-time.
There was an unusual calmness about the opening exchanges as if both side were exhausted by the previous 45 minutes.
Yuri Hasegawa made an uncharacteristic error giving the ball to JoJo who raced towards goal, let fly with a left-footer, which Keating, not for the first time, parried away for a corner.
She then got down to a low Cuthbert shot as Chelsea started to crank up the pressure.
City had just five substitutes – one of them a goalkeeper and Nick Cushing opted to bring on England international Jess Park, on 65 minutes for Jill Roord.
But the Blues could not capitalise and City gradually dug in and started to threaten.
Chelsea responded by bringing on Aggie Beever-Jones for Ramirez on 71 minutes.
Miedema almost notched a goal for City when her run ended with a low right-footer that was inches wide of Hampton's right post.
The woodwork continued to be Chelsea nemesis as Cuthbert rattled the crossbar with a thunderous left-footer on 78 minutes.
City brought on Naomi Layzell for Hasegawa on 84 minutes.
With four minutes of added time to get through Chelsea brought off Walsh and brought on Oriane Jean-Francois. Walsh was given a yellow card for taking her time getting off the pitch.
It worked and Chelsea go through - just Barcelona waiting now.
Teams: Chelsea: Hampton, Bright, Ramirez, Cuthbert, James, Bjorn, Baltimore, Kaptein, Rytting Kaneryd (JoJo), Bronze, Walsh
Subs: Spencer, X-Cox, Nusken, Macario, Lawrence, Charles, Hamano, Jean-Francois, Beever-Jones, Brown
Man City: Keating, Laia Aleixandri, Miedema, Fowler, Roord, Kerolin, Quahabi, Casparij, Hasegawa, Prior, Murphy
Subs: Startup, Layzell, Coombs, Wienroither, Park
Referee; Catarina Campos - Portugal