Chelsea Ladies 0 – 0 Manchester City
Chelsea missed the chance to reclaim top spot in the WSL after they were held to a frustrating goalless draw by league leaders Manchester City at Kingsmeadow, writes Kieran Thomas.
Drew Spence had the best opportunity for the Blues, her close-range effort in the second half superbly saved by stand-in goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck.
The result sees Emma Hayes’ side remain two points behind City, who were able to cling to their unbeaten record.
With newly appointed England manager Phil Neville in attendance, the drama started after just two minutes, with a nine-minute stoppage in play when 33-year-old Man City keeper Karen Bardsley landed awkwardly on her shoulder after claiming a high ball.
A stretcher was required as the medical teams rushed to her aid, with Bardsley replaced by teenager Roebuck.
A solid defensive performance from Nick Cushing’s side throughout the first half limited the home team to only a handful of meaningful attacks.
The game was quite even in the opening 25 minutes, both teams had their fair share of possession, with Crystal Dunn causing the most problems with some positive runs down the left-hand side for the Blues.
It took over 23 minutes for Chelsea to craft a clear-cut opportunity, Fran Kirby powering into the box after she got onto the end of Dunn’s sublime through-ball, only for Steph Houghton to cut it out.
And just three minutes later Chelsea’s first real effort on goal arrived when Spence turned creator when she flicked the ball around the corner for Ramona Bachmann whose right footed shot from the left was comfortably dealt with by substitute Roebuck.
The second half had a similar tone to the first. The opening ten minutes was extremely balanced, before the Chelsea onslaught began in the final 15 minutes of the game, with Hayes’ side looking the fitter of the two it was time to go for the jugular.
Dunn continued to impress, powering forward and often supported by Bachmann who found plenty of space out wide.
On the 75th minute mark Chelsea created the best chance of the game, Spence found herself alone in the box after a neat swivel and looked set to score, but Roebuck somehow smothered her, producing a wonder save from point blank range in the process.
After that as the crowd started to get behind the home side Chelsea went through a period of real momentum with several corners and scrambles in the box but were still unable to break the deadlock.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article