Chelsea edged nearer to qualifying for the quarter finals of the Champions League with a tough fought 2-0 victory over Actual Madrid on Wednesday night.
Second half objectives from Sophie Ingle and Erin Cuthbert proved to be the distinction in a good Kingsmeadow encounter.
The primary half was a detailed affair of only a few probabilities. Fran Kirby drew a stretching save from Misa Rodriguez inside three minutes after some trademark linkup play with Sam Kerr as Chelsea began within the accedency. However Actual grew into the sport, Caroline Weir seeing a goal-bound effort blocked by Kadeisha Buchanan because the opening 45 completed goalless.
Having completed the primary half strongly, Actual carried on from the place they left off in the beginning of the second, testing Ann-Katrin Berger with a Naomie Feller cross after the winger had burst previous Magdalena Eriksson.
Jessie Fleming and Lauren James had been launched early within the second interval, and the pair breathed new life into the Chelsea crew with their power and aptitude.
Having hardly threatened for the reason that opening exchanges, a set piece was required for Chelsea to take the lead within the 68th minute. Erin Cuthbert’s nook was flicked on by Millie Vibrant, and Ingle headed dwelling.
Actual went in quest of a leveller, with the suitable flank persevering with to be a supply of hazard for the guests. Kenti Robles offered a teasing supply for Esther to latch onto, however once more Buchanan was readily available to make an vital intervention.
Moments later, Chelsea doubled their benefit – and in fortuitous circumstances, as Cuthbert’s tried cross from the suitable inadvertently flew into the highest nook.
Niamh Charles fired into the facet netting because the clocked ticked down after being magnificently discovered by James, as Chelsea finally ran out deserved winners.
GK: Ann-Katrin Berger – 6/10 – Obtained an vital contact to a harmful Feller cross within the second half and had a few comfy saves to make, however was as much as the duty.
RB: Niamh Charles – 7/10 – Seemed full of life and was continuously up and down, seeing an over hit cross virtually catch out Misa because it landed on the roof of the online within the first half, and seeing one other effort hit the facet netting within the second after one other foray ahead.
CB: Kadeisha Buchanan – 8/10 – Produced an vital block to maintain out a objective certain Weir effort within the first half, and one other to disclaim Esther within the second.
CB: Millie Vibrant – 8/10 – Minimize out go after go for the Blues on the again. Gained the flick on to arrange Ingle for Chelsea’s opener.
LB: Magdalena Eriksson – 5/10 – Overwhelmed for tempo by Feller within the second half as Actual created considered one of their most harmful openings of the match, with Actual usually carrying their largest menace down the Chelsea left.
CM: Sophie Ingle – 7/10 – Nice willpower to get her head to the ball first and put Chelsea 1-0 up. Sometimes tidy and composed.
CM: Erin Cuthbert – 7/10 – Supplied the curling set piece supply from which Chelsea opened the scoring, earlier than getting on the rating sheet with a cross-come-shot.
RW: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd – 5/10 – Not fairly capable of carry the ball beneath management throughout a promising Chelsea assault within the first half. Confirmed glimpses of her magical toes, however changed earlier than the hour after failing to ever actually get the higher of the Actual backline.
AM: Fran Kirby – 5/10 – Again into the beginning XI after a spell out with sickness. Examined Misa inside three minutes with a low effort after working the angle herself, however this might be her brightest second, as she struggled to have a telling impression on proceedings.
LW: Guro Reiten – 6/10 – Tracked again nicely on a couple of events to assist out defensively.
ST: Sam Kerr – 6/10 – Mixed nicely with Kirby to create Chelsea’s greatest first half opening. Put in a giant defensive shift and ran her socks off.
SUB: Lauren James (55′ for Rytting Kaneryd) – 7/10
SUB: Jessie Fleming (55′ for Kirby) – 6/10
SUB: Jess Carter (79′ for Reiten) – 6/10
GK: Misa Rodríguez – 6/10 – Tipped a Kirby effort across the put up inside three minutes with a powerful stretching save.
RB: Kenti Robles – 6/10 – Obtained ahead often as Actual’s proper flank carried their largest menace within the first half. Supplied a teasing cross from which Esther got here near getting on the scoresheet within the second half.
CB: Kathellen – 6/10 – Prevented Chelsea netting a 3rd by impressively scrambling the ball off the road.
CB: Ivana Andrés – 5/10 – Misplaced monitor of marker Ingle because the Chelsea midfielder headed the Blues into the lead from a nook.
LB: Olga Carmona – 5/10 – Saved Rytting Kaneryd comparatively quiet, however struggled extra in opposition to James within the second half.
CM: Claudia Zornoza – 6/10 – Shielded the again 4 impressively, however not capable of stop Cuthbert sending within the cross from which Chelsea doubled their lead.
CM: Freja Olofsson – 5/10 – Provided safety for the again 4, permitting the Actual entrance 4 to surge ahead with freedom. Misplaced out within the air to Vibrant within the construct as much as the Chelsea opener.
RW: Naomie Feller – 7/10 – Carried a giant attacking menace, burning previous Eriksson within the second half to create considered one of Actual’s most harmful openings. Surprisingly changed simply after the hour, having arguably been her facet’s most harmful ahead participant.
AM: Caroline Weir – 6/10 – Good on the ball, noticed a objective certain effort blocked by Buchanan, however tended to float out and in of the sport and pale within the second half.
LW: Maite Oroz – 5/10 – Saved actually quiet and unable to have a lot of an attacking impression on the sport.
ST: Esther (86′ for Moller) – 5/10 – Noticed her solely sighting of objective sniffed out by Buchanan and largely left to feed off scraps.
SUB: Sofie Svava (62′ for Feller) – 5/10
SUB: Rocío Gálvez (80′ for Olofsson) – 5/10
SUB: Nahikari García (80′ for Carmona) – 5/10
SUB: Sandie Toletti (86′ for Zornoza) – N/A
SUB: Caroline Moller (86′ for Esther) N/A
