With the minutes ticking away, Manchester United’s goalkeeper, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, jogged towards Chelsea’s penalty area to join an attacking corner.
It was the second time this season an opposition ’keeper has decided to try their luck in the final stages of a match against the WSL champions Chelsea. Aston Villa’s Sabrina D’Angelo almost scored an equaliser from her attempt on the opening night of the season.
When you’re playing Chelsea, sometimes anything will do.
However, Chelsea successfully defended the nervous late corners by United, extending new coach Sonia Bompastor’s winning start to 12 games out of 12. It was not her team’s most accomplished display of the season, but they earned their luck.
Chelsea dominated with 64 per cent possession, 13 shots to United’s three and 38 touches in the opposition penalty area. They won, albeit only 1-0 thanks to Guro Reiten’s 17th-minute penalty, and remain top of the table, five points clear of second-place Manchester City. They are the only unbeaten team left in the WSL.
Chances for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Mayra Ramirez in the second half should have finished the match off sooner, but instead, Chelsea fans were left holding their breath until the end. It was a gritty win despite United’s toothless attack, with the wet and windy weather of Storm Bert causing both sides issues at Kingsmeadow in south-west London.
“In build-up phases and creation phases, we were not able to keep the ball and I would like my team to be able to hold the ball more than today,” said Bompastor. “We created a lot of chances but we were not clinical enough, not efficient enough. When you are not able to score the second goal in this type of game, you leave the door open for the opposition. This is what happened again today.
“I don’t want to find excuses, but the wind today was also part of our performance. To have windy weather is the worst element when you play football. It didn’t help. It impacted both teams, but especially when you want to create and have possession of the ball. But still, we need to progress.”
It has long been the case in the WSL that teams need to grind out results sometimes. That is a shift for the former Lyon manager, who admitted earlier in the season that she was still adjusting her game model based on the higher level of opposition the WSL posed in comparison to the equivalent top division in her native France.
”We are still not yet at what I want,” said Bompastor when asked about how she was evolving with this Chelsea team having succeeded the hugely successful Emma Hayes in the summer. “That’s normal. It takes a lot of time.
”I’m quite happy with the defensive stuff — out of possession. We showed that against Manchester City (last Saturday’s 2-0 home win). In possession, there is room for improvement. We need to do better, especially if we want to control the game and be a dominant team in the league.
”In terms of results, we couldn’t have dreamt of anything better. It’s a perfect start. But I’m really focused on how we perform. We haven’t won anything yet and it’s important to keep in touch with reality.”
Chelsea have had to knuckle down to beat United before. They tend to be strange opponents. Despite putting six goals past them on two separate occasions, the most common previous scorelines ahead of this match were 1-0 or 3-1, both to Chelsea. They have only ever lost to United once in 14 meetings, but the difference between a game being a blowout or a tight call has been extremely variable.
Dealing with the expectation of winning without leaning into overconfidence will be a key psychological balance Bompastor is going to have to monitor with her Chelsea team performing the way they are.
”You can feel (overconfidence) from your squad,” she said. “I have the experience, from being a player and now a manager. Before (at Lyon, 17 times French champions and winners of eight Champions League finals), I was working in an environment where the club had won a lot of titles, so I can feel that. It’s one of my strengths, being able to serve and see how I need to manage my group and my squad.
”Here at Chelsea, the players don’t get overconfident. They have the right mentality. They want to work hard. But if it is the case, with the squad or with some individuals, I will make sure to tell them or make them realise how they need to be to achieve our goals.”
As many of her squad now head off on international duty, Bompastor will move into a new phase as Chelsea coach.
The defending WSL champions began the season with a question mark over them. An extremely talented squad, of course, but facing more change than they had experienced in the past decade. They will return to work next month following the international window with a bullseye on them. The attention will only ramp up the longer this winning streak goes on.
They passed a big test against United on a day when their best finishing eluded them.
The muscle memory of doing that might be as valuable as those more impressive performances earlier in the season.
(Top photo: Guro Reiten celebrates her winner; by James Fearn via Getty Images)
