Chelsea shrugged off the disappointment of their FA Cup semi-final exit to climb back above Manchester City at the top of the Women’s Super League with a 3-0 defeat of Aston Villa.
An opening goal from Aggie Beever-Jones and first Chelsea goals for Maika Hamano and Kadeisha Buchanan ensured victory over 10-player Villa, after goalkeeper Anna Leat was sent off five minutes in for handling the ball outside her area.
Carla Ward had warned that Chelsea would not have their heads dipped after their Cup loss to Manchester United on Sunday. “A wounded animal is a dangerous animal,” she had said.
There were seven changes to the team that suffered the 2-1 loss, as Hayes attempted to shore things up ahead of Saturday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Barcelona.
Lauren James was absent from the squad entirely with a foot injury, while Eve Périsset, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Melanie Leupolz, Erin Cuthbert, Guro Reiten and Mayra Ramírez all dropped to the bench, with Ashley Lawrence, Sophie Ingle, Sjoeke Nüsken, Hamano, Fran Kirby, Beever-Jones and Catarina Macário all brought in.
For Aston Villa, there were three changes to the side that earned a 1-1 draw with Leicester before the international break. Alisha Lehmann and Adriana Leon were on the bench and Simone Magill, Miri Taylor and Sarah Mayling all starting.
With illness having hit the side before kick-off, meaning Danielle Turner was a late omission, and only six substitutes on the bench, Villa were already climbing uphill against the team they have lost all seven meetings with during Ward’s tenure.
Depleted, Ward started Rachel Daly at left wing-back rather than centre-forward, and their personnel woes were extended by an early error from goalkeeper Leat that reduced them to 10 players.
A hugely underhit backpass from defender Rachel Corsie was latched on to by Nüsken who skated forward only to have her shot saved by the hands of Leat well outside the area. The keeper was sent off and Ebony Salmon made way for Villa’s only substitute keeper, the 17-year-old Sophia Poor – their first-choice keeper Daphne van Domselaar is already out for the season.
Despite Chelsea’s rotation, the home team predictably dominated and were rewarded for their efforts against Villa’s 10 players on 18 minutes, with Niamh Charles’s cross from the left falling behind Beever-Jones who acrobatically swept in on the volley.
It was two not long before the break, Lawrence causing trouble on the right and pinging in a cross that was flicked on by the heel of Macário and turned in by Hamano, ahead of Mayling, for her first Blues goal.
There was concern for the visiting side in the 51st minute as Poor needed treatment for what looked like a calf problem, but strapped up, the young goalkeeper was able to continue.
Chelsea’s third arrived 13 minutes later, Macário’s corner met by the head of Anna Patten but it bounced off Buchanan and in.
Poor continued to struggle as Chelsea pushed on, going down twice more, including requiring more treatment late on, but she heroically clung on until the end.
Chelsea failed to add to their tally and build up a more comfortable goal difference lead over City. That may prove disappointing given Villa’s reduced number, but three goals was enough to give them a two goal cushion over their closest rivals and keep the title race on a knife-edge.
