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Match report: Nüsken's winner settles wild game
Sjoeke Nüsken fired Chelsea back up to second place in the Women’s Super League with a dramatic late winner in a 4-3 victory over Aston Villa. The Blues’ Champions League hopes looked set to suffer another blow when Villa came from 3-1 down to draw level in a breathless first half.
But Nüsken struck with eight minutes remaining to keep the six-time champions’ slim title hopes mathematically alive, although they trail Manchester City by nine points.
Villa took a shock lead at Kingsmeadow with less than two minutes on the clock after Lucy Bronze gave the ball away to Chasity Grant. The Dutch winger played it out to Lynn Wilms and then arrived at the near post to meet the cross and sweep the ball past Hannah Hampton.
Chelsea equalised in the 20th minute when Sam Kerr, back from Asian Cup duty with Australia, latched on to Nüsken’s pass and fired home. Within seven minutes the Blues were 3-1 up, first with Naomi Girma touching a Lauren James cross into the net for her first WSL goal. Then James, who scored Chelsea’s goal in Tuesday’s 3-1 Champions League first-leg defeat at Arsenal, drilled in the third from 20 yards.
However five minutes later Villa hit back when Wilms delivered another cross and Kirsty Hanson got in front of Bronze to dispatch it. And the visitors made it six goals in a crazy first 35 minutes when Wilms tried to bring a cross down and Hanson buried the loose ball.
Chelsea dominated the second half and Alyssa Thompson missed a gilt-edged chance when she headed over from four yards. But the winner arrived when Ellie Carpenter won the ball in midfield and found Kerr, who teed up Nüsken for a first-time finish into the corner. PA Media
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Righto, that’s us done for today. Thanks a lot for your company and enjoy the rest of the weekend; peace.
In the other midday kick-off, West Ham and London City have drawn 1-1. To complete the weekend, Brighton visit Leicester, kicking-off at 3pm.
WSL table
A tough game, says matchwinner Nusken, and the pressure they built towards the end means they’re deserved winners; Villa showed they’re a good team.
James says it’s a tough block of games with another to come, so she’s glad to get the win.
I didn’t love how Chelsea played in the second half, but they stuck at it, and delivered a moment of quality to seize the win.
FULL TIME: Chelsea 4-3 Aston Villa
A fantastic contest with a winner to match, and Chelsea haven’t quite forsaken their title – also taking control of the battle for third place.
90+8 min The first ball is cleared, but Nightswonger gets another go at a cross, the ball hits Patten, she can’t quite get her shot away, and eventually, Hampton claims.
90+7 min Baltimore swings the free-kick in, which narrowly eludes Potter. So Villa go down the other end, win a corner, and D’Angelo canters forward…
90+6 min Lovely footwork from James down the right, rolling studs over the ball then oozing away from Nightswonger, who brings her down. Free-kick Chelsea, wide on the right, and she’s replaced by Potter before she can take it; she is so, so good – and getting better.
90+4 min Chelsea continue to put Villa under pressure, denying them any chance of an equaliser. Often, in this situation, you see teams sit back, invite pressure, and hope they deal with whatever arises, but it makes much more sense to keep the ball down the other end.
90+2 min Chelsea look to play out time, sending the ball to the corner, where Cuthbert and Baltimore protect it well, earning a throw.
90 min Courtney Sweetman-Kirk gives Lauren James player of the match and I can’t argue with that. We’ll have eight additional minutes.
90 min Chelsea are nearly there, but Villa have given them a serious shock.
88 min And here she is now, inverting and slipping a ball in behind for Kerr who, unable to cut inside, pokes a snap=shot which D’Angleo turns behind.
87 min Sandy Baltimore has made a really big difference since coming on. Given Chelsea have a two-goal deficit to retrieve, I’d start her at left-back in midweek and see what she can create – her ability to go both ways unbalances defences.
85 min Prior to the moment of quality that brought about the goal, Chelsea were causing trouble by putting balls into the box, but weren’t creating chances. I thought the goal might come, but the one they crafted was a thing of beauty out of keeping with the rest of the half.
83 min But Villa immediately set Salmon away down the left, she cuts infield on a diagonal towards goal … and lashes into the near-post side-netting.
GOAL! Chelsea 4-3 Aston Villa (Nusken 82)
Carpenter dashes into a tackle and plays into Kerr, quiet hitherto, but who, back to goal, bounces a pass into Nusken’s stride, inviting her to measure a dipping curler into the bottom corner from 20 yards! That is a goal good enough to win a game this good.
82 min What a treat a draw would be for Manchester United BUT EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF!
80 min Baltimore feeds Charles down the line and the eventuating cross is a goodun, but Villa do just enough to take the ball away from Kerr and mates. it comes back, though, then again, James’ deflected cross eventually humped clear.
78 min Yup, a clearly disappointed Roebuck departs, her right knee jiggered and D’Angelo replacing her. She’ll have to settle quickly.
76 min Roebuck looks to have hurt her leg, accept treatment, and this might be her done.
76 min I guess we see this sometimes: goals in the first half, then a quiet second. That’s testament to Villa, really, who’ve kept Chelsea at arm’s length, hitting the bar themselves.
74 min Grant goes down so takes treatment; Villa will welcome the breather.
73 min Baltimore is now playing on the left wing, with James on the right and Charles at left-back. Villa are struggling to get out now.
73 min Change for Chelsea, the returning Niamh Charles replacing Thompson, who played well in the first half but less so in the second.
72 min The splendidly-named Oona Siren has just scored an absolute banger, volleying in from the edge of the box, Paul Scholes-style, to give West Ham an equaliser against London City.
70 min Here, though, comes Thompson again, latching on to a pass in behind and she’s in! But as she looks to round the keeper, Roebuck extends an arm to tip the all away.
69 min Baltimore brings a lovely balance and she chops on to her left foot, totally fooling Grant, then crosses, and Kerr ducks underneath it, but Thompson can’t convert.
68 min Villa send on Hijikata, just returned from Japan’s victorious Asia Cup campaign, for Taylor.
67 min Again, Carpenter crosses from the right, Kerr leaping into a challenge as she looks to turn inside the near post … but she cannot.
66 min Villa are looking to take the sting out of things now, a point within their grasp.
65 min Chelsea have moved the ball pretty well today but, in the second half haven’t really looked like scoring. Carpenter, though, goes down the right, crosses … and Villa clear.
63 min Baltimore has given Chelsea a bit of attacking impetus, but a misplaced pass allows Villa to move forward and find Hanson, 20 yards out, near the right corner of the box, Wilms’ run taking a defender away. So Hanson has a look, then unfurls a gorgeous curler that looks headed for the top corner … only to clatter the angle! What an effort that was; what a player this is!
61 min Chelsea win a corner which Taylor clears and, as time elapses, Manchester United and Arsenal, their rivals for a Champions League spot, will be paying close attention.
59 min Chelsea are dominating now and Hanson, having been buffeted all afternoon, looks like she’s slowed down. But Villa remain a threat on the counter.
56 min Baltimore has gone to left-back and, as I type, she plays a low pass into the box which Kerr reaches ahead of Roebuck – though I don’t think it was for her – nicking it away and wearing the inevitable out-cleaning. That’s got to be a penalty … but no, the flag goes up for offside.
55 min Bronze leaves one on Hanson, a body to the midriff and perhaps the only time she’s got close to her all afternoon.
54 min Changes for Chelsea: Cuthbert for Girma and Baltimore for Kaptein.
53 min James finds Nusken then gets on her bike, racing down the left to receive the return, but her clipped low cross is cleared. Chelsea need to get her on the ball at every opportunity, because Villa can’t handle her.
