Bompastor will have much to think about as nervy Blues hold out for 1-0 over powerful Villla
By Paul Lagan at Kingsmeadow
Chelsea 1 v Aston Villa 0
Chelsea are top of the WSL but they were a shadow of the side that has won five titles in a row. Aston Villa were the better side for much of the game and but the clinical finishing of Johanna Rytting Kaneryd in the first half, the Blues could have been looking at defeat or at best a draw.
New head coach Sonia Bompastor will have a lot of head scratching to do to work out quite where it almost went wrong.
Villa overran the Chelsea midfield and the triple use of Guro Reiten, Sandy Baltimore and Rytting Kaneryd will be a source of concern – it just did not work.
But a win is a win and that in itself will be the major positive Bompastor will take fro the 90 minutes.
Guro Reiten had the first effort on goal, on two minutes. Excellent work by Sandy Baltimore, Ashley Buchanan and Millie Bright all did their bit to set up the Norway winger, but she scuffed her left-footed half volley wide.
Sjoeke Nusken was next on the list, but her angled volley was more understandable high and wide.
It was Reiten's turn again, on nine minutes, but again she screwed the ball wide of goal.
After a period of Villa possession, it was counter-attack Chelsea again, and on 17 minutes a Reiten cross was met by Lucy Bronze, but her header went straight to Sabrina D'Angelo.
But on 36 minutes, the Blues took a deserved lead ns it was live wire Johanna Rytting Kaneryd who showed Reiten and Co how to do it.
She latched onto the ball just outside the Villa penalty area. She switch from right to left foot quickly and let fly with an unstoppable left-footer that zipped past D'Angelo. And into the back of the net.
There were no changes by Chelsea at half-time.
Villa started the second half well and a quick counter and Rachel Daly was a tad unlucky to see a lopping header clip the Chelsea crossbar.
The Blues performance was becoming stale and head coach Sonia Bompastor decided to make changes – on came Aggie Beever-Jones and Maika Hamano – off went Balti ore and Ramirez on 66 minutes.
There was little improvement in the performance and there was a sense the Chelsea fans were sensing
Rytting Kaneryd was replaced by Lauren James with six minutes left.
Hannah Hampton spared Chelsea bushes by denying a Daly goal-bound header.
Hampton then tipped over goalkeeper D'Angelo header as the visitors piled on late pressure.
But they survived – just.
Teams: Chelsea, Hampton, Bright, Nusken, Ramirez, Cuthbert, Reiten, Lawrence, Baltimore, Rytting Kaneryd, Bronze, Buchanan
Subs: Musovic, Macario, James, Bjorn Perisset, Kaptein, Hamano, Mpome, Beever-Jones
Aston Villa: D'Angelo, Tomas, Patten, Staniforth, Kearns, Nobbs, Daly, Dali, Parker, Maritz, Grant
Subs: Poor, Mayling, Corsie, Robinson, Turner, salmon, Leon, Hanson, Pacheco
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