Gemma Bonner scored an injury-time winner for Liverpool after a wild second half to leave Chelsea’s title bid hanging by a thread
That’s me done for the night. Congratulations to Liverpool, who truly deserved the three points. This was no smash and grab (can you do that at home?!), even if they were hanging on at the end.
Cheers for reading, and for your emails and tweets. Night!
That’s quite the post-mortem. All of a sudden it feels quite final.
The Chelsea manager is next to face the cameras:
This team has done a tremendous job in my time here to push for titles. I don’t know if we have ever conceded four goals in a half before. Three from set pieces is just unforgivable. But I’m going to credit Liverpool.
We looked exhausted but I don’t make excuses. I want to remind our fans how much success we have brought over the years. It’s not to be this year.
I think the title is done. Of course mathematically it’s not but I think the title is done. Our job between now and the end of the season is to keep pushing until the end but I think it will be very difficult.
A final email from Gordon:
“I was listening to the Guardian woman’s football podcast yesterday, and a view was expressed that Emma Hayes appeared to be under a great deal of strain under the pressure of bowing out at Chelsea on a high note. She doesn’t appear to have handled the pressure well. I feel certain that there has been a knock-on effect on her team.”
There does seem to be some overlap with what has happened to Chelsea women and what has happened to Liverpool men. Both Hayes and Klopp are legends, and leave a huge void. I’m not sure how helpful it is to prematurely announce your departure. Puts a lot of pressure on the side and everyone has to expend a lot of emotional energy on each game. It just means more.
Liverpool’s Gemma Bonner speaks! She is awarded player of the match, but it could have easily gone to Haug or Clark. All three were excellent. Here’s Gemma:
We knew that if we got the chances we could finish them. We have to make sure we challenge in the top three. We knew we could expose them on the transition and we can hurt any team. The girls have huge character. We know that we have huge quality, from Marie [Höbinger].
Matt [Beard] has built this squad. We are hard to beat. Everyone thinks that we have over-performed but that’s the belief we have. Now it’s onto Sunday.
Liverpool face Manchester United at home. Whoever wins that is likely to finish fourth!
That was the best game I have watched this season. Absolutely absurd.
Chelsea’s Niamh Charles, who hails from the Wirral of course and came through at Liverpool, looks like she is in tears as she contemplates defeat with her family. Hampton is on her haunches. Chelsea look completely broken by this result.
“Bloody hell!”, emails Sarah Rothwell.
Hayes has gathered her Chelsea players into a huddle for a team-talk, but this is not a rousing speech. Everyone looks completely dejected, exhausted. Maybe the Champions League exit has taken its toll.
Same.
Barely time to catch your breath 😅
— Liverpool FC Women (@LiverpoolFCW) May 1, 2024
This is what it does for the WSL table. Chelsea remain six points adrift of Manchester City and now only have one game in hand. The Blues now desperately need Arsenal to do them a favour. The Gunners travel to City this Sunday. Huuuuuuuuuuuuge.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City Women | 20 | 46 | 52 |
| 2 | Chelsea Women | 19 | 38 | 46 |
| 3 | Arsenal Women | 20 | 27 | 44 |
| 4 | Man Utd Women | 20 | 17 | 35 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC Women | 20 | 3 | 35 |
What a game! What a seismic result that is for the WSL title race! Liverpool beat Chelsea and you can’t say the Reds didn’t deserve it!
90+8 min: Hayes grimaces on the sidelines, scratching her head in frustration. I think she knows the gig is up.
90+7 min: What a save from Micah to deny Beever-Jones a hat-trick! The ball fell beautifully for the Chelsea forward, who volleyed it fiercely at the top corner, but Liverpool’s Micah threw up a left arm and somehow tipped the ball over the bar.
90+6 min: Huge chance for Chelsea! Charles crosses for Macario, who glances a header towards the back post. But the ball finds neither the corner, nor Hamano’s boot at the back post. The Japanese was steaming in but couldn’t quite get there to slide in an equaliser.
90+4 min: Chelsea are desperately trying to find another equaliser, but Liverpool are defending stoutly, with Haug blocking inside her own area from Cuthbert’s effort.
Bonner scores straight from the corner on her 150th appearance for Liverpool! The defender scores against her former club, and maybe crushes Emma Hayes’ title dream. The Chelsea manager shakes her head on the sideline, that’s the third corner Chelsea have conceded from this evening! They had only conceded three set pieces all season going into this match.
90+1 min: Kiernan is running the Chelsea defence ragged with her pace. She wins a corner, and here come the cavalry from the back!
90 min: Nine minutes added on! Plenty of time for either side to get a winner.
87 min: Both sides are pushing for a winner! Kiernan surges down the Liverpool right. It’s three on three in the centre, Haug wins the first header but the ball doesn’t drop for Holland.
Chelsea stream forward on the counter attack. Perisset crosses wonderfully and only a crucial improvised clearance from Clark keeps the scores at 3-3. Clark has been a rock at the back for Liverpool tonight.
85 min: Will Chelsea find that all-important winner, and keep their title bid on track?
Oh my good lord! What a game this is. Chelsea are back in it! The third goal in three minutes! Perisset opens up the Liverpool defence, Cuthbert pulls the ball back and Macario is in oceans of space near the penalty spot. The USWNT striker shoots, but it pinballs around the goalmouth … it hits Daniels, then Micah and rolls into the net for an own goal. Nothing the keeper could have done!
Liverpool take the lead again, a minute between the two goals. Absolutely world-class build-up play from Holland, who rolls Cuthbert in midfield and finds Kiernan with a sensational through ball. The Ireland international finishes past Hampton and the Reds lead once more!
Chelsea are level! What a crucial goal that could prove to be. Reiten, who has been full of guile and invention since coming on, plays a wonderful reverse pass inside Daniels. Charles gets to the byline, draws Micah out of her goal and the cut back finds Beever-Jones, who smashes Chelsea level!
77 min: Off the line from Daniels! Here come Chelsea. Ingle shapes to shoot but feeds a clever ball to Cuthbert, who heads at goal. But Daniels is there. It might have just been drifting wide but the Liverpool defender wasn’t taking any chances!
74 min: Really impressive that Liverpool are still engaging in a high press. Normally Chelsea would face a low block in this situation but the Reds are showing some real bravery, with and without the ball. Chelsea are struggling to build their attacks.
71 min: Liverpool make a double change, and I’m surprised that Beard has taken off Enderby for Kiernan, although the Irish international is no slouch up top. Matthews is also on for Hinds, Liverpool’s captain.
69 min: Hamano nearly finds an opportunity to shoot but the Japanese is crowded out, before Liverpool’s Clark makes another brilliant block from Cuthbert’s shot.
67 min: More Chelsea subs as they fight to get themselves back into this game. Nathalie Bjorn is on for Bright, who has struggled in truth! Bjorn is quicker than the Lioness, so should be better placed to clear up those Liverpool counter-attacks.
Guro Reiten comes on for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Eve Perisset replaces Ashley Lawrence.
Another Liverpool goal from a corner. Bonner wins the flick on at the near post and Cuthbert can only steer the ball into her own net. Oh my word, Chelsea’s title bid is falling apart!
64 min: Suddenly this game bursts into life! First Macario finds some space in Liverpool’s area but Clark makes a brilliant block. Liverpool clear and Enderby so nearly gets the better of Bright. Chelsea are playing a dangerous game there, leaving themselves exposed at the back. They are going for it, but Enderby’s pace is a real weapon!
62 min: To emphasise the aerial dominance of Haug this season, she has won 84 aerial duels in the WSL. The next best player is Leicester City’s Sophie Howard, who has just 46.
60 min: Chelsea just can’t get anything going at the moment and a further stoppage doesn’t help, as Cuthbert hits the deck after a
This is a big half an hour for Chelsea’s campaign. Potentially season-defining.
57 min: And that’s the end of Nusken’s evening. Chelsea make a double change: Nusken and Kirby off, Hamano and Ingle – the former Liverpool defender – on.
55 min: “Nusken is becoming an enigma,” emails Gordon again. “Brilliant in the league win v Arsenal, and the CL tie at Ajax, but strangely anonymous since”. Yes, Nusken and Cuthbert have been outrun and outplayed by Nagano and Holland.
53 min: Chelsea had only conceded three goal all season from set pieces, and you would not expect them to concede with Bright coming into the side. The visitors look like they are going to immediately make changes. Hayes is not happy.
Liverpool are level, and they deserve that goal! Haug rises highest above Bright and nods a sensational delivery from Hobinger past Hampton! The cameras cut to Hayes in the dugout and the Chelsea manager looks sick as a dog. Chelsea simply can’t afford to drop points in this title race.
50 min: Holland is a real nuisance down Liverpool’s left and wins a corner from the covering Carter.
46 min: So nearly an immediate equaliser! Holland gets the better of Lawrence down Liverpool’s left, swings in a cross and Hobinger is all alone at the back post. But it’s a clumsy first touch and she swings and misses with her second! Chelsea clear but were nearly caught cold there!
Peeeeeeeeeeeeeep! And the second half is underway.
The heavens have opened in Birkenhead, and the wind is up as well.
There is another match going on.
A worrying half for Blues fans, despite their lead. Liverpool have been the better side. Chelsea won’t be worried about the goal difference, they are still worried about the result.
45+6 min: Another impressive Liverpool performer, Nagano, is down. But it’s just a little kick, she’s OK.
45+4 min: Big chance for Liverpool and Hinds, who is increasingly playing as a winger rather than a full-back. Liverpool’s skipper receives the ball to feet in the box, turning neatly and fires only a yard wide of the top corner! Hampton was stranded in the Chelsea goal, with the shot deflected.
45+1 min: Five minutes added on, although I would now expect more of that because of the injury to Koivisto. The Finnish international is encouragingly back to her feet but she is not going to be able to continue, and hobbles back towards the Liverpool bench. Daniels comes on for Koivisto, who has been so impressive in this first half, flying up and down the right flank.