Report: Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal Women

We were beaten 1-0 away to Chelsea in the Women’s Super League at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon thanks to Alyssa Thompson’s first-half strike.

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We had the first chance of the game as Mariona Caldentey went out right to Lisa Baum, who cut inside onto her left foot and saw a shot deflected over the bar by Katie McCabe, before Baum’s next effort met the same fate.

Regularly involved, Baum then found Kim Little, who got a shot away onto the post.

Lauren James tried her luck from distance with Chelsea’s first attempt, but it was no problem for Anneke Borbe to catch.

Back up the other end, Alessia Russo did well to send Baum forward on the counter, and she switched it out left to Mariona, who fired wide of the near post.

James shot over from long distance just past the half-hour mark, before Steph Catley’s free-kick was headed onto the roof of the net by Leah Williamson.

Thompson then cut in onto her right foot and curled one straight into Borbe’s gloves, before Chelsea took the lead. Borbe initially did well to save Kiera Walsh’s effort towards the bottom left, but Thompson buried it on the follow up for 1-0.

Melvine Malard went through on goal but Borbe saved with her foot for a corner, and Lucy Bronze met a McCabe delivery for Borbe to catch as we went into the break behind.

LOOKING FOR A WAY BACK INTO IT

Early in the second half, Borbe’s goal-kick went all the way to Baum and she forced a good save from Hannah Hampton on her left foot, before Catley’s free-kick ended up in Hampton’s gloves.

Looking to double their lead, a Chelsea cross in from the right was then touched wide of the bottom left by Malard.

We made our first three changes of the match with just under half an hour remaining, with Chloe Kelly, Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius coming on for Baum, Georgia Stanway and Mariona.

Malard had a couple of chances, shooting straight into Borbe’s gloves and then firing wide with her next shot, and Fox side-footed one over the bar from the edge of the area.

In the 74th minute, Catley curled the ball over the top to Blackstenius who tried to poke it beyond an onrushing Hampton, but the shot went off target and the flag was raised for offside.

Both teams kept pushing for the next goal into the final 15 minutes, Walsh shooting straight at Borbe and Foord seeing a shot blocked.

Geraldine Reuteler came on for her Arsenal debut alongisde Selina Cerci as Little and Ona Batlle made way in the 81st minute.

WHAT'S NEXT

We fly off to France next week to take on Paris FC in our first away game of the UEFA Women's Champions League, which kicks off at 5.45pm UK time on Wednesday.

Then, we travel to Manchester on Sunday to take on last season's WSL champions City in a 4.30pm kick-off at Etihad Stadium, which tickets are on general sale for.