Chelsea hosted Manchester City for their fourth and, hopefully, final meeting of the season. Bompastor’s side leveled the tie in 38th minutes and even took the lead before half-time. The visitors improved in the second half, but is was not enough to retake the lead. Chelsea progress to the Women’s Champions League semi-finals, where they will face FC Barcelona. Read our match report on Chelsea vs Manchester City.
Match Highlights
Sandy Baltimore opens the scoring.
Nathalie Björn levels Chelsea on aggregate (2-2).
Mayra Ramírez scored the third for Chelsea.
Khiara Keating’s 50th appearance.
Source: Manchester City on X
Action-Packed opener
Chelsea start the match with intent, eager to open the scoring. Lauren James had the first opportunity about three minutes in, Ramírez firing wide and a corner resulting in a header on the post. The home team created five chances in a very short period of time. However, an opponent like as Manchester City needs a split second to turn the game around.
Chelsea score the 1-0 (1-2 aggregate) in the 14th minute. They had to pull two back to level the tie in the second leg. Lucy Bronze played a 1-2 with Ramírez, but her effort hit the post. Baltimore picked up the loose ball in the box and fired an absolute rocket in the back of the net.
Trying to halt Lauren James
Manchester City immediately looked for a response, with Casparij charging down the right and firing multiple crosses into the box. Mary Fowler got the next opportunity when Miedema’s pass reached her in the box. Some smart footwork created enough space to fire on goal, but Hampton made an important save.
After Manchester City’s good spell, Chelsea took over again, making it an exciting first half. Miedema had to show off her line-clearing abilities once again when Björn header was on target. The Swedish international got another opportunity from the next corner. This time, Miedema could not clear Björn’s header as it sailed over her into the goal.
Chelsea turn it around
The goals just keep coming in the first half. Lauren James dispossessed Grace Prior, who’s had a tough evening so far, and charged into the box. James cut the ball back to Mayra Ramírez, who tapped it in. Just before half-time, Khiara Keating made a crucial save, leaving her team with the opportunity to fight their way back into the game in the second half.
Source: Chelsea on X
Second Half: 45 minutes to decide
Nick Cushing made his first change of the game: Coombs came on for Murphy. Sonia Bompastor kept her squad the same. Both sides picked up right where they left off. There was a short break in play when Baltimore fouled Kerolin, who needed treatment. The foul awarded City a free kick just outside the box, a big opportunity, but Fowler’s effort went into the wall.
Manchester City is still in the game
Head coach Nick Cushing still had 30 minutes to solve Bompastor’s puzzle. He had a very limited bench, as Shaw and Fujino were unavailable for the game. Jess Park was his next substition; she replaced Jill Roord just after the one-hour mark.
Aggie Beever-Jones came on for Ramírez.
Beever-Jones immediately tested Khiara Keating but the goalkeeper had been phenomenal all night and blocked her effort.
Chelsea secure semi-final ticket
There were ten more minutes to go and City had picked up their pace in the past twenty. Cushing brought on Naomi Layzell for Yui Hasegawa with only a five more minutes remaining.
Four minutes of stoppage time were added on. Bompastor used her time wisely and replaced Keira Walsh with Jean-Francois. Chelsea hold onto their 3-2 lead on aggregate and secure their semi-final ticket.