Chelsea v West Ham Picture by Paul Lagan
By Paul Lagan at Kingsmeadow Stadium
Chelsea 2 v West Ham United 2
Chelsea blew a two-goal lead and perhaps blew open the title race as West Ham pegged the champions back to a 2-2 draw at Kingsmeadow.
The Blues were a seemingly unstoppable force in the opening phases of the first half and raced into the two goal-lead through Maika Hamano and Aggie Beever-Jones.
Had they scored four more, no one could have complained, and perhaps they should.
The second half was a mystery in terms of letting the opposition back into the game.
The Hammers worked hard, but were gifted the goals from an alarminly fading Chelsea.
Head coach Sonia Bompastor took off Millie Bright and Erin Cuthbert at half-time and that simply gave the east Londoner added impetus.
A brace from Shekiera Martinez , the leveller coming two minutes into added time was deserved but Chelsea are now just six points ahead of chasing Arsenal and Manchester United, who would have been delighted at the two dropped points from Che;sea.
Catarina Macario created the first chance in the first minute but her shot was blocked for a corner.
The Blues went for the jugular from the off with a couple of pressure corners, putting West Ham under the cosh.
A volley from Aggie Beever-Jones, set up by Erin Cuthbert inched just wide of Kinga Szemik's left upright.
The relentless pressure finally proved decisive on 15 minutes when Maika Hamano stroked home with a right-footed half-volley from just inside the West Ham penalty area.
A sensational team goal on23 minutes, led to Beever-Jones getting the ball off Macario on the left and she stroked home a wonderful, right-footer into the far corner of Szemik's goal.
It took until the 30th minute for the Hammers to attack the Chelsea goal, and it came from their first corner. But Hannah Hampton easily snaffled a goal-bound header from Shelina Zadorsky.
A last-ditch block by Amber Tysiak denied Macario a goal on 34 minutes.
Injured Katrina Gorry replaced by Dagny Brynjarsdottir on 36 minutes.
A minute later and Szemik tipped Erin Cuthbert's thunderbolt onto the crossbar as the Blues edged towards their third goal.
Sloppy defending and poor clearances saw the Hammer take full advantage and Shekiera Martinez took full advantage and smashed home past Hampton from just inside the penalty area.
Chelsea replaced Millie Bright and Cuthbert at half-time – on came Lucy Bronze and Wieke Kaptein.
West Ham replaced Anouk Denton for Kirsty Smith.
The Hammers started the second half much the better – Chelsea almost looked vulnerable by comparison. But the first chance fell to Chelsea with Sjoeke Nusken flashing a low, curling left foot just wide of the Hammers goal on 57 minutes.
But the general performance was below par and more changes were needed to not stem the tide but to prevent and further deterioration in performance.
To that extent, Lauren James and Mia Fishel came on, Hamano and Beever-Jones went off on 67 minutes.
James took a couple of minutes to find her feet and then forced Szemik in to low save then clipped her crossbar with and angled drive.
West Ham then made three changes, off went Shelina Zadorsky, Li Mengwen and Riko Ueki and on came Seraina Piubel, Eva Nystrom, and Manuela Pavi.
Chelsea because increasingly frustrated as the Hammers took control – Oriane Jean-Francois was yellow-carded on 78 minutes for a needless challenge.
Chelsea then took off Nusken for Keira Walsh with 10 minutes left.
West ham continued to push forward and the Blues looked like they were hoping someone else would do the work for them.
And so two minutes into the added four saw them take a deserved equaliser when Martinez headed the equaliser past Hampton.
**Teams: Chelsea: Hampton, Bright, Nusken, Cuthbert, Macario, Lawrence, Bjorn, Charles, Hamano, Jean-Francois, Beever-Jones**
**Subs: Spencer, Fishel, Ramirez, James, Baltimore, Kaptein, Rytting-Kaneryd, Bronze, Walsh**
**West Ham: Szemik, Siren, Tysiak, Ueki, Zadorsky, Denton, Martinez, Asseyi, Gorry, Li Mengwen, Hanshaw**
**Subs: Walsh, Smith, Brynjarsdottir, Pavi, Harries, Nystrom, Saez, Ademiluyi, Piubel**