Emma Hayes praised the impact of her substitutes as Chelsea won a Women's Super League five-goal thriller against Reading at a snowy Kingsmeadow.
The WSL champions survived a second half scare to win 3-2, Reading scoring twice in the space of a minute to turn the game on its' head after the Blues led 3-0 at the interval. Manager Hayes joked afterwards that her team "wanted to make it entertaining" for the home fans who braved the cold to watch their team go back to the top of the league on Sunday night.
Chelsea looked comfortable after a goal from Fran Kirby and two from Jelena Cankovic only to endure a scare close to the hour mark. The Blues were then spooked when Amalie Eikeland poked the ball home, only seconds after Sanne Troelsgaard had scored as Reading hit back.
But Hayes utilised her strong her bench in the minutes that followed, introducing Jess Carter, Jessie Fleming, Sam Kerr and Guro Reiten to the action. And the Chelsea boss believes their impact was key in swinging monteumn back towards her side, as they kept the Royals at the bay in the last half an hour and close out a ninth straight top-flight win.
"We were in control," said Hayes. "But then they (Reading) score a goal, all of a sudden they scored a second an momentum shifts.
"I made changes to counter that, but I think because it was so cold and frozen it took a while for the subs to settle into the game.
"But Guro (Reiten) is one of the best players in the world, so she obviously helped. I wanted to give her and Sam Kerr a bit of a recovery after Thursday.
"And I thought they came on and really contributed to the win. We got control back, we saw it out and we're top of the league."
Hayes was also full of praise for French wing-back Eve Perisset who impressed down the right channel, particularly in the first half. The former PSG defender signed for the Blues in the summer from Bordeaux and looks to be improving with every performance.
"English is not her (Perisset's) first language," explained Hayes. "Some challenges have come with that when it comes to organising, but she is adjusting.
"But she is learning the language, which is why we're easing her into games. She's already a good footballer but she can produce her best levels for us once she learns the language and plays with her teammates on a consistent basis.
"She will only get better and better for us."
A memorable contest was played out in freezing conditions, with constant snowfall leading to the pitch becoming particular slippery towards the end. And Hayes was full of praise for the Chelsea faithful who came down to Kingsmeadow in their numbers despite the bad weather.
"I wasn't expecting them in their numbers and it really is fully appreciated,’ she added before joking: "That is why we wanted to make it entertaining for them in the second half!"
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