Chelsea FC:
Starting XI: Peng (GK), Carpenter, Girma, Bronze, Baltimore, Walsh ©, Hamano, James, Thompson, Macario, Beever-Jones
Subs: Sam Kerr (56’), Sjoeke Nusken (56’), Rytting-Kaneryd (65’), Wieke Kaptein (75’)
Everton:
Starting XI: Brosnan (GK)(C), Kitagawa, Fernandez, Mace, Ishikawa, Momiki, Payne, Vignola, Gago
Subs: Karen Holmgaard (56’)
Chelsea FC looked to extend their unbeaten streak in the league this Sunday with their final home game of the year taking place against Everton. The Merseyside team sat in tenth place going into the match, having picked up just five points in the league, a stark contrast to Chelsea’s 21.
It goes without question that Chelsea have seemed to hit a sore run of form as of late with a draw against both Liverpool and Arsenal, and with midfield staple, Erin Cuthbert out on concussion protocol, would they be able to get back to their winning ways and avoid a third consecutive draw?
Chelsea took kick off through Aggie Beever-Jones with a dominant spell of posession, proving threatening from the off. With five minutes played, Everton had failed to make an impression outside of their own half.
In the sixth minute, it looked like Catarina Macario had found the opener, the ball gliding across the goal line but hitting the far post in the final moment.
With Lauren James earning her first start of the season, Chelsea’s speed on either wing proved an issue for Everton’s backline with their defence often looking leaky.
However in the 11th minute, Honoka Hayashi opened the scoring, Chelsea’s defence failing to communicate in the counter attack, leaving an open goal for the visitors.
Just five minutes later, Everton looked through on goal once again, this time at the feet of Hiraku Kitagawa however, the shot was put well wide of the goal.
In the 21st minute, Lauren James pinged the ball across to Ellie Carpenter, the right back earning a corner as a result. However with suspected foul play from a blues player in the box, Everton earned themselves a freekick.
At the half way point, Chelsea had earned themselves several more chances in the attacking third however failed to create a final product.
In the 32nd minute Maika Hamano dispossed Everton’s Vignola, giving Alyssa Thompson a clear run on goal. The resulting ball was however kept out by Courtney Brosnan once again.
Minute 36 saw yet another ball from Sandy Baltimore sore past Chelsea’s attack, another chance lost.
In the dying stages of the first half, Alyssa Thompson’s counter attack led to a corner for Chelsea, and with Kitagawa recieiving treatment, Chelsea had the chance to pull one back. Everton’s backline however, proved their solidity, clearing the ball from the off.
With five minutes of injury time added, Chelsea had a lot of work to do to even the playing field ahead of the second half.
Zero changes were made ahead of the second half, both teams keeping the same XI as kick off.
Chelsea once again looked threatening in the opening stages of the second half, dominating in possession and persistently pushing through on goal.
In the 56th minute, Lauren James and Catarina Macario were replaced by Sam Kerr and Sjoeke Nusken, as well as Clare Wheeler making way for Karen Holmgaard.
With 30 minutes on the clock, Ellie Carpenter shot from range, the ball going pelting over the goal and out of the stadium.
Another chance came in the 62nd minute, Sam Kerr’s header proving just too strong to curve back in on goal.
In the 65th minute, another change in Chelsea’s attack meant that Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd was replacing Aggie Beever-Jones on the wing.
Just a minute later, Everton made a triple substitution, Toni Payne and Ornella Vignola and Yuka Momiki being replaced by Katie Robinson, Rosa van Gool and Katja Snoeijs.
A relatively quiet ten minutes saw Wieke Kaptein replace Maika Hamano in midfield in the 75th minute.
Chelsea saw several more opportunities within the attacking third in the latter stages of the second half, however just couldn’t seem to find the finishing product.
Minute 84 saw the final change of the game, young gun Issy Hobson replace Hikaru Kitagawa.
With five minutes of injury time added, Chelsea pushed for the leveller, however with yet another injury in Everton’s defence, time was running out.
It looked as though Chelsea had completed their mission in the 92nd minute with the ball looking to cross the line before Brosnan got a glove to it in the final moment.
With Lucy Bronze and Sandy Baltimore standing over the ball for the final set piece of the game, the team looked set to find the equaliser however, the ball hit the post, Chelsea failing to score for the first time this season.
Full time saw Chelsea fail to pick up a point for the first time this season, a worrying display for the blues at home. The toffee’s on the other hand earned just their second win in the league this season, and their first win against Chelsea since 2020.
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