Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has lamented her side’s defensive showing in their dramatic 4-3 win over Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League (WSL).
Six of the game’s goals were scored in seesawing opening 35 minutes, where Villa took an early lead through Chasity Grant. The hosts responded well and scored thrice in seven minutes to go 3-1 up, before again being pegged back by a Kirsty Hanson double.
The Blues pushed hard for a winner in the second half and their pressure bore reward in the 82nd minute, when Sjoeke Nüsken finished off a flowing move from just inside the box.
This was the second successive game that Chelsea have conceded thrice in, following on from their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal last week in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.
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Last season, Barcelona were the only the team to score three goals against Chelsea (they did in both legs of their Champions League semifinal). However this year, Villa became the third side to score three or more goals against the Blues in all competitions.
“It was the most important thing for us to win this game. In terms of performance Villa put the battle up there for us. They scored first and I think we had a great reaction, from losing 1-0 to score three goals in the first half, ” Bompastor said post-match to Sky Sports.
“If I’m being honest it is not good enough from us to concede three goals. Villa only had three shots on goal and scored three in the first half, so we need to be better in defensive aspects, but in the end we found a way to win the game.
Anything less than three points would have been detrimental to Chelsea’s chances of qualifying for Europe, and this win pushes them to second-place with three matches left.
The race for Champions League qualification will go down to the wire, with Chelsea facing Manchester United on the final day of the season. Marc Skinner’s side are currently two points behind the Blues.
“The winning goal was a big one for us. You could see the relief, ” Bompastor said.
“Right now the reality is that we are fighting for the Champions League spots and this win is a huge win for us.”
