FROM STAMFORD BRIDGE: Chelsea breezed past Celtic FC to solidify their spot at the top of their UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) group stage on Wednesday night.
A bright start at Stamford Bridge saw Chelsea take the lead after just one minute thanks to a spectacular volley from Lucy Bronze. A first UWCL goal from Wieke Kaptein and a penalty from Eve Perisset solidified the victory for the Blues, who are yet to drop a point under the new management of Sonia Bompastor.
The win means that Chelsea solidify their spot at the top of their group, securing qualification into the next round of the European competition. Celtic however, are still left waiting for a point at the bottom of the standings.
How the game unfolded
Chelsea earned themselves an early corner, threatening Celtic from the first whistle. The hosts grabbed the lead after just one minute, as Sjoeke Nusken and Catarina Macario combined in a short corner on the edge of the box. None other than Lucy Bronze would meet the looping cross, sending her strike first time into the back of the net.
Macario had the chance to double Chelsea’s lead just minutes later, as her quick-feet weaved through the Celtic defence before sending her shot just over the crossbar.
It was a night of kick and hope for Elena Sadiku’s side in the opening stages, as Celtic’s only real chances came from long balls over the top which were all quickly snuffed out by the Chelsea defence.
The visitors created their best chance in the 18th minute, as Amy Gallacher located Murphy Agnew with a line breaking pass down the spine. Agnew felt the presence of a tracking Millie Bright, sending her shot extremely off-target in haste.
Chelsea’s set piece prowess paid off again in the 24th minute, as a short corner combination allowed Guro Reiten the time to launch a cross into the area. A nicely timed run from Wieke Kaptein allowed her to meet the ball in the air and head home a second for the Blues.
The second half picked up right as it left off, with Chelsea orchestrating the proceedings. The Blues struck early, but Kaptein’s shot from distance was fired just over the crossbar. Rytting Kaneryd was given a similar opportunity minutes later, but once again her curling strike was just high of the target.
A blunder at the back almost opened the door for the visitors in the dying moments, as Zecira Musovic turned over possesion on the edge of the box. The Chelsea goalkeeper breathed a sigh of relief as Celtic’s forward was found offside.
Late drama saw the hosts receive a penalty, as Shannon McGregor was caught for a handball inside of the area. Eve Perisset stepped up to the spot, calmy slotting home Chelsea’s third goal of the evening.
GK: Zecira Musovic – 7/10 – Didn’t have much of a job at all on the night as Celtic only registered one shot on target the entire game. Nearly made a costly error in the closing moments as she turned over possession in the final third.
RB: Lucy Bronze – 9/10 – An incredible volley in the opening minute gave Chelsea the lead at Stamford Bridge, and set the tone for the rest of Bronze’s evening. A strong and intelligent showing from the English defender.
CB: Maelys Mpome – 8/10 – A much improved performance from the centre back in comparison to the away leg. Looked very certain of herself defensively next to Bright, and proved to be a bright outlet from defence for Chelsea.
CB: Millie Bright (c) – 8/10 – A really solid showing from the Chelsea captain. Snuffed out every ball Celtic tried to play over the top and did well to organise the Blues defence.
LB: Ashley Lawrence – 8/10 – Another strong performance from a reliable defender, Lawrence did well to combine with Reiten in the width to move the ball forward intently.
CM: Sjoeke Nusken – 7/10 – A quiet night for Nusken, but not a negative performance. Celtic sat deep, therefore the midfielder didn’t have much of a defensive task to do in the central areas. Had some bright moments in possession.
CM: Oriane Jean-Francois – 7/10 – Some nervous moments in possession, but all went unpunished. Really beginning to settle into the Blues midfield and will continue to improve when given more minutes.
CM: Wieke Kaptein- 9/10 – The young midfielder thoroughly deserved her first Champions League goal after weeks of shining form. Chelsea’s future sure is bright, and Kaptein has proved that she might be the future star with the highest ceiling. Backed up her Player of the Match performance from last week brilliantly, proving herself as a real creative asset for Chelsea.
RW: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd – 8/10 – Was an engine down the Chelsea right-side, tracking back when necessary and causing real issues for Celtic when carrying possession forward.
LW: Guro Reiten – 7/10 – Proved deadly on set pieces, however was much more quiet than usual in other areas. Made no mistake and had some bright moments, but nothing extraordinary.
ST: Catarina Macario – 7/10 – Caused nightmares for the Celtic defense from the opening minute, out-muscling her markers and combining well with her teammates in the midfield to move play forward. Would have received a higher rating had she played the second half.
Substitutes
SUB: Mayra Ramirez (46′ for Macario) – 6/10 – A really strong presence as always, however lacked her usual clinical edge in front of goal.
SUB: Erin Cuthbert (58′ for Rytting Kaneryd) – 7/10 – Her usual composed self, helping Chelsea contain a majority of the possesion in the second half.
SUB: Eve Perisset (69′ for Reiten) – 8/10 – Not a lot to do for Perisset given Celtic posed minimal threat, however the defender composed on the ball in the moments she had it. A cool and collected penalty finish for Chelsea’s third.
SUB: Lola Brown (85′ for Lawrence) – N/A
SUB: Julia Bartel (85′ for Nusken) – N/A
Unused subs: Hannah Hampton, Maika Hamano, Katie Cox, Nathalie Bjorn, Sandy Baltimore
Manager
Sonia Bompastor – 9/10 – Bompastor can do no wrong in West London at the moment, extending her winning streak out to eleven games unbeaten since arriving at Chelsea. She learned from last week’s performance, and selected the right amount of experience and rotation in order to get the most out of her side. The new manager got the most out of young players like Kaptein, whilst prolonging the primed periods of experienced talents such as Bronze.