Key events
29 min Villa look shellshocked – these Chelsea goals have come far too easily but, on the other hand, pressure takes a toll.
GOAL! Chelsea 3-1 Aston Villa (James 27)
LAUREN JAMES, THOUGH, WHAT A PLAYER! She collects a big switch and immediately veers infield, away from Hanson before, from 20 yards, dragging a low, fizzing shot inside the near post. She’s enjoying herself, and if that continues, this’ll get messy.
26 min Lauren James, though, what a player. Everything she does looks so natural – I can’t think of many players who combine pace, power, skill, invention and intelligence, though of course her brother is another.
25 min Girma celebrated like she was sure she’d scored, and replays are inconclusive, but I think she imparts a fine glance. Chelsea have responded really well to going behind.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa (Girma 23)
Chelsea hace been playing for this. Again, the corner goes short, James to Thompson, again a return-pass finds the maestro on the corner of the box, and this time, her delivery is poifect, curling in; Roebuck can’t move in case someone gets a touch and though Girma does, even if she hadn’t, the ball would still have gone in.
22 min Elsewhere, London City lead West Ham 1-0; back with our game, Thompson, who’s started the game well, wins Chelsea another corner.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa (Kerr 20)
It was coming. A pass into midfield and Nusken, allowed to turn far too easily, slides Kerr in behind. Running from centre to left, Roebuck assumes, with good reason, that the shot is going back across goal, so plants feet ready to dive, and when the effort is directed towards the near post, can’t react quickly enough to keep it out; all she can do is palm into the net.
19 min Chelsea are playing pretty well now; I very much doubt this match ends 0-1. Which isn’t to say Villa won’t win it, just that it’ll probably take another goal, at least.
18 min This time, James stick the corner into the box and Nusken’s up … but her header flashes wide.
17 min Lovely from James, slowing down Wilms then ducking inside, the defender with no option but to fall over. She then feeds Nusken inside her, Roebuck tipping the shot around the post.
17 min Chelsea’s press is dominating the game now, but Villa’s goal dominates the scoreboard.
16 min Again, it goes short, James to Thompson back to James, who shoots from the corner of the box … and straight at Roebuck.
15 min Chelsea are swarming Villa now, Taylor heading behind to concede a corner when under nae pressure.
13 min But now Bornze turns up on the left wing, crossing … and Kaptein only just fails to apply brow to ball, Thompson also unable to catch up with it. Chelsea, though, maintain pressure, winning a corner; it goes short then back to James, whose shot is saved by Roebuck easily enough.
12 min On which point, Hanson almost catches Bronze, chasing a channel-pass; in the event she’s penalised but using her pace as she roams about the forward line looks to be a central plank of Villa’s strategy today.
11 min Chelsea look dangerous down their left, Thompson running in behind and looking to have the legs on Nightswonger. I’d not be surprised to see Walsh dart passes in behind for that purpose.
10 min Looking at the goal again, I’m not sure Bronze’s pass was a blind one, rather a dreadful one. No doubt the distinction will make her feel much better.
8 min This has been a really entertaining start. Chelsea are threatening now, but Villa look enterprising on the counter and like they believe they can get something out of this.
6 min Pre-match, Arroyo told us she wanted her side to stay in the game early on, but they’ve done plenty more than that. But Chelsea are awake now, Thompson running off Nightswonger, and collecting a pass into stride before crossing; in the middle, Patten does just enough to lever Kerr out of it before, backing up from the left, James again shoots wide.
5 min Back come Chelsea, Walsh having a shot blocked, then James fires wide.
4 min Chelsea have plenty of time to get that goal back, but Bompastor will be concerned by so lackadaisical a start.
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Aston Villa (Grant 2)
Oh my days! Bronze plays a blind, casual square-pass and Grant, in the no 10 position, collects possession and spreads right to Wilms. Her cross, low to the near post, is on-point, and Grant, goal-side and running off Girma, dashes to meet it, lifting a fine finish over Hampton. What a start!
1 min Chelsea look to bait Villa into pressing, knocking the ball about the back four as they settle into rhytnm.
1 min Chelsea get us under way.
Chelsea look nice and relaxed in the huddle, plenty of laughter as Walsh gets them going. We’re ready.
Our teams are tunnelled, and here they come. This is Chelsea’s final home league game of the season.
These two teams have met 11 times in the WSL; Chelsea have won them all.
It really is too long since we saw Kerr and James together. If they’re at it today, I’m not sure what Villa can do about it.
Chelsea will know that, if they stop Hanson – only Khadija Shaw has scored more than her 10 league goals this season – they probably stop Villa. I’d not be surprised to see her drift wide and see if she can get at the inexperienced Buurman.
Bompastor tells Skywanted to find the strongest starting XI and Kerr, as the only no 9 in the squad, had to be involved.
Natalia Arroyo knows her team face a difficult task, Chelsea probably angry after their midweek tousing, so in the first instance she wants Villa to stay in the game, then fight hard.
Villa, meantime, will look to keep a low block, I expect, with Chastity Grant and Lucia Kendal breaking quickly and seeking to create for Kirsty Hanson. Villa currently sit eighth in the table, but will see sixth as still within reach.
So where is the game? Chelsea will look to play into Kerr and, if they can, get her turned and running either in behind or with the ball. while James wanders off the left in support. To make that happen, they’ll use Keira Walsh to control the pace of the game, with Kaptein and Nusken in particular bombing on.
The big news, though, is the return of Kerr. A side that has her and Lauren James in it can do anything to anyone, but how quickly can they gel?
This is a relatively young Chelsea XI – Veerla Buurman is 19, Wieke Kaptein 19 and Alyssa Thompson 21. I’m really looking forward to seeing how they get on as Bompastor looks to refresh the club, and if any of them do well enough to earn a midweek start when Arsenal visit.
Also going on:
Villa won last weekend for the first time since Brighton since beating Brighton on 11 January; they make one change, Lucy Parker dropping out with Océane Deslandes coming in.
Changes for Chelsea: out go Kadeisha Buchannan, Erin Cuthbert and Sandy Baltimore; in come Wieke Kaptein along with the returnees, Ellie Carpenter, starting after sitting on the bench in midweek, and Sam Kerr.
Teams!
Chelsea (4-3-3): Hampton; Carpenter, Girma, Bronze, Buurman; Walsh, Nusken, Kaptein; Thompson, Kerr, James. Subs: Peng, Spencer, Buchanan, Baltimore, Charles, Potter, Cuthbert, Shooter, Sarwie.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Roebuck; Wilms, Patten, Deslandes, Nightswonger; Jean-Francois, Taylor; Grant, Maritz, Kendall; Hanson. Subs: D’Anglelo, Maltby, Scott, Seymour, Lea, Hijikata, Salmon.
Referee: Callum Jones (Bootle)
Preamble
A legendary manager leaves a club and success continues: we saw it for half a generation after Chelsea sacked José Mourinho and for a season after Emma Hayes moved on, similarly so at Liverpool following the resignation of Jürgen Klopp. To what extent, though, was that down to processes so effective and inculcated that they outlasted the departed, versus the impetus of new ideas from the new incumbent? For Sonia Bompastor, the pressure is on.
Yesterday’s thumping derby win means Manchester City need a maximum of five points from thee games to regain the WSL crown; Chelsea, who last season won an undefeated domestic treble, were barely ever in the race. They did retain the League Cup, are still in the FA Cup – and the Champions League, just about – but another season like this one won’t be good enough for a club used to better.
Disappointment has many mothers, and Chelsea come into this afternoon’s game without Nathalie Björn, Myra Ramírez, Niamh Charles and Millie Bright, while Aggie Beever-Jones might still be absent too. On the other hand, though, Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter are available for a match the importance of which is far greater than itself.
Most pressingly, on Wednesday night Chelsea meet Arsenal in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, trailing the defending champions – and what a painful phrase that is for a side yet to win the thing – 3-1. A good performance today will give them momentum as they prepare for a task that is difficult but not impossible.
But this contest is about next season as well as this. Though currently, Chelsea sit fourth in the WSL, a win today takes them third and into the Champions League spots – two points ahead of Manchester United, who they host in the final round of games. Or, in other words, the title may not be at stake, but there’s still a helluva lot going on here.
Kick-off: 12pm BST, baby