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We’ll have a match report shortly, but I’m going to head off to prepare for some hot men’s World Cup qualifying action this evening. Thanks for your company - bye!
The player of the match is Erin Cuthbert
“We weren’t at our best in the first half so we were delighted to be 2-0 up. We changed a couple of things and regrouped. Everything starts with a clean sheet - we know if we don’t concede that the attacking side will take care of itself. It’s great to win here, but we’ve got to keep putting the pressure of Arsenal.”
Full time: Manchester City 0-4 Chelsea
Peep peep! Chelsea move to within a point of Arsenal after another comfortable win at the Academy Stadium. It was 3-0 in the FA Cup semi-final last month and 4-0 today. Then, as now, City were punished ruthlessly for their mistakes. They played well for most of the first half, despite Karima Taieb gifting Chelsea a goal in the second minute, but Sam Kerr’s strike on the stroke of half-time shattered their morale.
Chelsea scored two more in the first ten minutes of the second half, and the rest of the match was a non-event. It’s a horrible time for City and particularly their manager Gareth Taylor. For Chelsea and Emma Hayes, it’s business as usual.
90+1 min England’s low cross towards Fleming is crucially intercepted by Stanway on the six-yard line.
90+1 min There will be five minutes of added time.
90 min The substitute Beckie wins a corner for City down the right. It’s curled in by Greenwood and headed away by Eriksson.
87 min Cuthbert is limping a bit but she’s going to continue. I think she was caught by the substitute Raso as they challenged for a 51-49 ball.
85 min There’s a break in play while Cuthbert receives treatment.
83 min Poor Ellen White chases another overhit long pass. I can’t remember her touching the ball.
82 min City will drop to eighth in the table after this defeat. Aston Villa, who won 1-0 at Birmingham earlier today, will move above them.
81 min Stanway shoots over from distance.
79 min Another change for City - Hayley Raso replaces the brilliant Lauren Hemp.
78 min Three changes for Chelsea. Zecira Musovic replaces Berger in goal, while Niamh Charles and Drew Spence come on for Kirby and Reiten.
77 min City bring on Vicky Losada for Caroline Weir.
77 min England misses an excellent chance to make it 5-0, scooping over from 15 yards after being teed up by Kirby. On reflection, maybe the ball was slightly behind her.
76 min Ann-Katrin Berger is down again, and this time it looks like she’ll need to come off.
74 min Greenwood is booked for a robust aerial challenge on Leupolz.
72 min Berger saves again from Hemp, this time more comfortably. It was another cracking run from Hemp, who remains thoroughly watchable even when her team is 4-0 down.
70 min Hemp surges into the area from the left, moves away from Cuthbert and clips a right-footed shot that is pushed round the near post by Berger. It was going wide anyway but Berger took no chances.
69 min Now a double change for City: Janine Beckie and Laura Coombs replace Filippa Angeldahl and Jess Park.
67 min Another Chelsea change: Beth England replaces Sam Kerr, who scored the crucial second goal just before half-time.
64 min It’s a reflection of Chelsea’s standards that they started the second half so ferociously, even though they were already 2-0 up. They knew they hadn’t played well in the first half, whatever the scoreline.
61 min The second half has turned into a training session for Chelsea. The City players, understandably, look desperate for the game to end.
58 min City have already lost 5-0 to Arsenal in the WSL this season. I’m not sure how Gareth Taylor comes back from this.
GOAL! Man City 0-4 Chelsea (Eriksson 55)
Another one for Chelsea! A booming, inswinging corner from the left is headed in emphatically from close range by Eriksson, towering over both Greenwood and the keeper Taieb.
54 min: Taieb makes another good save, scrambling to her right to push Kerr’s deflected shot behind. City have been all over the place since half-time.
53 min The commentators think that might have been a cross by Kirby. It’s possible, though I suspect she meant it. She’s certainly good enough to conceive and execute a goal like that.
That was far too easy for Chelsea. The corner was played short and worked from right to left and back again by Chelsea. Eventually Cuthbert played a short pass back to Kirby, 15 yards out, and she teased a curling shot into the far corner.
GOAL! Man City 0-3 Chelsea (Kirby 52)
Oh, City.
51 min Kerr wins a corner off Greenwood.
50 min Ingle has a long-range shot blocked. Chelsea have pressed more aggressively since half-time, which hints at a brollocking from Emma Hayes despite the score.
48 min: Good save by Taieb! City are almost punished for another mistake. Jill Scott’s loose square ball was nicked by Kerr, who waited for support and played in Fran Kirby. She floated a shot towards the far corner that was punched away by Taieb, diving to her right.
46 min Peep peep! City begin the second half. Chelsea have made a half-time change: Sophie Ingle is on for Ji.
Half-time reading
Half time: Manchester City 0-2 Chelsea
Another miserable half of football for City. They were the better team almost throughout; alas, the ‘almost’ refers to errors from Karima Benameur Taieb and Georgia Stanway - one hideous, one merely bad - that led to Chelsea’s goals. Jessie Fleming and Sam Kerr punished City ruthlessly. As things stand, City have taken only seven points from seven games. Gareth Taylor must feel like the 2021-22 season is cursed.
45+6 min It was an adroit finish from Kerr, because the ball bounced up slightly awkwardly.
Stanway lost the ball in the centre circle and Chelsea flew forward on the break. Ji floated a lovely cross beyond the far post to Reiten, who twisted her neck to it head back towards Kerr in the six-yard box. She did the rest.
GOAL! Man City 0-2 Chelsea (Kerr 45+4)
A killer blow on the stroke of half-time!
45+4 min Similarly, I’m not sure whether Gareth Taylor will be pleased with City’s performance or alarmed that they are behind yet again. It’s been a strange half.
45+2 min I’m not sure whether Emma Hayes will be annoyed by Chelsea’s performance or happy that they are ahead despite playing so passively.
45 min Nothing comes of the corner. There will be ... six minutes of added time.
45 min Cuthbert, who is starting to struggle against Hemp, stretches to concede another corner.
42 min After four minutes of treatment, Berger is up on her feet and wants to continue.
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