Chelsea were held at Manchester United in their opening game of the Women’s Super League season, a late equaliser by Leah Galton rather spoiling Pernille Harder’s debut for the defending champions.
The costliest signing in women’s football at £250,000 was waiting to come on when United scored, though the forward did enough in the 10 minutes she was allowed to suggest she might have been usefully deployed somewhat earlier.
“Clearly we are not at our best yet. We lacked a bit of aggression,” Emma Hayes, the Chelsea manager, said. “I mentioned beforehand I’d take a draw. We knew United would be well organised and hard to break down.”
The game had been evenly contested before Chelsea broke the deadlock midway through the first half. Shots from Jane Ross and Sam Kerr that went narrowly wide at either end had been the only semblance of goalmouth action until Chelsea’s Ji So-yun and Maren Mjelde launched an attack down the right. Suddenly Fran Kirby was running into space on an unprotected United flank and her inviting low cross was confidently stuck away by Kerr on the six-yard line.
Scoring would have been a relief for the normally reliable Australia striker after her hesitant performance in the Community Shield against Manchester City, while just playing was a breakthrough for Kirby, out of the game because of pericarditis for almost a year, during which she was told she might never play again.
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WSL Sunday round-up
Jill Roord scored a hat-trick as Arsenal enjoyed a 6-1 defeat of Reading. After Kym Little had opened the scoring and Vivianne Miedema’s first of two, Dutch midfielder Roord’s three neat finishes formed part of a hefty statement of intent from the team that finished third last season.
Everton also began their WSL season with a bang by winning 4-0 at Bristol City. After Simone Magill opened the scoring, Lucy Graham scored twice, the second from the penalty spot, before Valerie Gauvin scored in the last minute to complete the rout.
Megan Connolly and Inessa Kaagman scored Brighton’s goals as Birmingham were beaten 2-0.
The London derby between Tottenham and West Ham played at Barnet’s The Hive stadium ended in a 1-1 draw after Adriana Leon’s goal for the Hammers cancelled out an own-goal from Grace Fisk
WSL scores: Arsenal 6-1 Reading, Brighton 2-0 Birmingham, Bristol City 0-4 Everton, Tottenham 1-1 West Ham, Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea
Kerr had the ball in the net again a minute later, this time losing her marker once more to meet an excellent Guro Reiten cross from the left, only to be brought back by an offside flag. Even though the goal did not count it was another illustration of the way Chelsea can strike quickly without necessarily applying prolonged pressure. United were just as neat and competitive in midfield but lacked the decisive pass in attack.
Ross ran about with purpose, pressing high up the pitch and occasionally hurrying Chelsea defenders into mistakes, though the striker would have preferred a snappier service.
When United did create a clear chance right at the end of the first half, after Kirsty Hanson crossed from the right and a looping header from Galton came down on Carly Telford’s bar, there was no real power in the effort and the goalkeeper had it covered.
Chelsea could have gone further ahead at the start of the second half when Kerr met Mjelde’s cross at the near post but put the ball over the bar.
United began to assert themselves, partly because of the left-back Ona Batlle becoming more involved. Though notionally a defender she proved effective going forward, both in her ability to go past opponents and to pick out teammates in promising positions. Making her United debut, she beat Mjelde with ease on one occasion but ended up shooting wide, then she set up Ella Toone for a shot Telford did well to keep out with a one-hand save.
Chelsea made a couple of substitutions early in the second half but left their world-record signing on the bench until 10 minutes from time. By then Chelsea might have made the game safe but for two notable saves from Mary Earps to deny Erin Cuthbert, the last a point-blank stop. As it was, Harder came on with the scores level, United having stirred themselves to equalise through an incisive move down the right. In what was virtually a carbon copy of Chelsea’s goal Toone set Jackie Groenen free down the right, for a cross that was neatly tucked away by Galton.
Chelsea attacked with renewed determination to try to retrieve the situation and succeeded in creating one or two half-chances. Unfortunately none fell to Harder, though the Dane did show her pedigree with powerful late surges to set up stoppage-time opportunities Cuthbert and Kirby could not quite accept.
A draw was fair enough. While Chelsea always seemed to have more goals in them, a gutsy United performance was worth a point.
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