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When Emma Hayes left Chelsea in the summer, and in came Sonia Bompastor, some thought the winners of the last five Women’s Super League titles would be set for something of a transition season. Saturday’s 2-0 win over Manchester City, which maintained their 100 per cent record in the league this term through seven games, made that suggestion look particularly silly.
The Blues might have a different manager in the dugout and a few different players out there on the pitch, but they look as inevitable as ever at the moment. They look like the same winning machine that has emerged as the dominant force in English women’s football over the last five years and, now, they are in the driving seat to keep that status after taking top spot from the Cityzens.
Every year, the feeling is that Chelsea’s dominant spell has to come to an end. Can they really win yet another league title? Last year, Man City looked set to end their reign at the top, going into the final two games of the season in pole position and seeming unlikely to slip up. But stumble they did and Chelsea were right there to pick up the pieces. Give them an opportunity, and they’ll take it.
How things will look in this title race come April, only time will tell, but Chelsea were certainly opportunistic on Saturday. City had their chances, and they had them fall to their star striker Khadija Shaw too, but it was the Blues who really capitalised in the big moments and showed the ruthlessness that characterises champions.
It will be another six months or so until this WSL title race is properly decided but, despite some huge summer changes, the holders are doing everything right at the moment as they bid to keep that trophy in the capital for a sixth successive season.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Stamford Bridge…
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Getty ImagesWINNER: Maika Hamano
It’s never easy to break into a team like Chelsea’s as a young player so when the Blues signed Maika Hamano last January, it was understandable that some questioned whether there was a path into the first team for her. However, since being granted big opportunities in the second half of last season by Emma Hayes, the 20-year-old has not looked back, repeatedly shining in vital moments for England’s dominant side.
That continued on Saturday, when Hamano consistently looked the most likely source of a goal for Chelsea, either by finding the back of the net herself or setting up someone else to add the finishing touches. It ultimately ended up being the latter, with her perfectly weighted pass putting Ramirez in behind the Man City defence, with there only one outcome from that point on.
At the start of 2024, Hamano had played just one WSL game for Chelsea and hadn’t started in the competition. As the year nears its close, she’s now a game-changing player who must start for the English champions and on Saturday, she underlined why.
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Getty ImagesLOSER: Khadija Shaw
This game was a tough one for Khadija Shaw, for a number of reasons. Firstly, there was the lack of service she received, especially with no Lauren Hemp out wide to deliver those deadly crosses she so often turns into goals. When she did get the ball in good positions, thanks to errors from Chelsea, she was wasteful, too. There were two gifts presented to her in the first half by the Blues and neither mistake was punished by last season’s WSL Golden Boot winner.
Then there was the fact that Shaw probably should’ve had a penalty just before Chelsea broke the deadlock. Aiming to attack a cross, the Jamaica international was wrestled to the ground by Ramirez and then, to only add to her woes, got caught underneath a jumping Chelsea defender as she fell and got a painful, albeit accidental, stamp for her troubles.
When City visited Chelsea in this fixture last season, it was Shaw’s goal that decided the encounter. On this occasion, it just was not her day.
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Getty ImagesWINNER: Chelsea
Chelsea already went into this game with a marginal edge in the title race, as they still had a game in hand over Man City despite being a point behind them. However, especially for those that believe in points on the board being more important, that edge became even greater as they usurped their title rivals at the top of the WSL table with this win.
To be crowned champions of England, teams just cannot drop many points. Over the last few seasons, more than 10 over the course of a campaign has often been fatal for most competing for the trophy. By getting three in this game though, and maintaining their 100 per cent start to the season through seven matches, Chelsea continue to leave themselves with a little more margin for error, particularly given City have now dropped five already. It’s only November, but the Blues are in the driving seat.
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Getty ImagesLOSER: Lauren Hemp
When the team news came out for this fixture, it felt like Chelsea were handed an immediate advantage by the absence of Hemp. The England winger has arguably been the best player in the WSL through the first two months of the campaign, producing electric form and match-winning moments to put Man City at the top of the table. With Lucy Bronze, who would have been tasked with marking her, often leaving space in behind her to attack as well, had Hemp started, it could’ve been a situation for her to really thrive in.
However, a knee injury restricted her to a place in the stands as a supporter, not a star player, and not only will that have been difficult for her to come to terms with, it was also tough for her team. The Cityzens lacked real top quality wide play in this game and couldn’t really get at Chelsea as a result.
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Getty ImagesWINNER: Mayra Ramirez
Through the first 75 minutes of this game, it felt like it was going to be one of those days where things just didn’t happen for Ramirez. She was working hard, showing plenty of positive play and doing all she could to put City on the back foot, but it just wasn’t quite falling for her. Then she showed her incredible quality.
Hamano’s pass to Ramirez for the first goal was fantastic, but there was still plenty for her to do. First of all, she needed to shrug off the challenge of Alanna Kennedy, which she did with remarkable ease. Then, she was running at Alex Greenwood, arguably the WSL’s most consistent defender across the last three years. Yet, she settled this duel on her own terms, making the England star hesitate and finishing before she could make a decision on putting in a challenge.
It was a goal Ramirez certainly deserved for the efforts she’d put in throughout the game – and her good day was only increased by the good luck she seemingly got in not conceding a penalty for a challenge on Shaw only a few minutes before.
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Getty ImagesLOSER: Alanna Kennedy
This was a big game for Kennedy. She’s not been part of City’s first-choice centre-back pairing this season, or last, with Greenwood more often paired with Laia Aleixandri to create a formidable duo. However, the Spain star was missing through injury, giving Kennedy the opportunity to show that she could step up and deliver in a huge match. Sadly, it didn’t happen like that.
In possession, she wasn’t as effective as Aleixandri often is, nor Greenwood, misplacing seven passes in her own half. And then there was the ease with which Ramirez beat her in the physical battle for the opening goal. Kennedy was by no means the only player who struggled in City’s defence in this game, but it was a particularly difficult day for her.
