Manchester City ended Chelsea’s 28-game unbeaten run under Sonia Bompastor at the Joie Stadium on Wednesday evening. A second half brace from substitute Vivianne Miedema saw Nick Cushing’s side gain an solid 2-0 advantage after the first leg in their Champions League quarter-final.
The Action
It felt a bit like groundhog day as Manchester City and Chelsea walked out onto the Joie Stadium pitch on Wednesday night. Different location and different personnel, yes, and eventually a different result but it was an equally close and fascinating encounter as they got their Champions League quarterfinal underway.
Nick Cushing had been dealt a blow in the three days since the League Cup Final with the news that both Bunny Shaw and Aoba Fujino would be absent with injuries that the City manager described as “significant”. In a bold move, he also rested Miedema bringing in 19-year-old Lily Murphy, Kerolin and Jess Park. Bompastor herself made changes with Keira Walsh returning from injury to replace Sjoeke Nüsken and Aggie Beever-Jones coming into the attack for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.
The first half was a cagey, scrappy affair with both sides creating little in the way of clear-cut opportunities. The hosts were clearly trying to adapt to the absence of Shaw and Fujino and while Murphy looked bright, she was not making the runs of her counterparts. All too often a through pass from Jill Roord or Park would run behind because there was not a light blue shirt available in the space down the left. Down the other end, Laia Aleixandri was much more astute in her handling of Mayra Ramírez with the Colombian having next-to-no opportunities to try and cause some damage on the break.
Where Bompastor had proven her decisiveness on Saturday, it was Nick Cushing’s turn to bring his tactical nous to the fore. The introduction of Miedema at the break and a switch to 4-4-2 ultimately changed the direction of the game. City’s attack suddenly looked much more dangerous, and it was the substitute who found the opener with half an hour left to play. Hannah Hampton initially did brilliantly to tip Aleixandri’s goal-bound header onto the bar, but the Chelsea goalkeeper could do little to prevent Miedema’s follow-up that nestled into the roof of the net.
Chelsea tried to up their intensity to find a way back into the game but some questionable decisions from the sideline – the removal of Lauren James; the late introduction of Maika Hamano – meant they never really found their rhythm. They seemed all too desperate to find an equaliser rather than keeping things tight and it was through this urgency that the hosts doubled their lead. A swift counterattack saw Kerolin find Miedema to send it past Hampton for her second.
It was a result that left Chelsea with a mountain to climb at Stamford Bridge next Thursday if they are to keep their Champions League hopes alive. For City, however, it was a perfect response to the league cup defeat at the weekend, the two-goal cushion giving them every confidence ahead of the next encounter between these two at the Etihad in the league on Sunday afternoon.
Stand Out Moment
Miedema’s second goal was the pick of her brace. As Manchester City launched a swift counterattack, Kerstin Casparij sent Kerolin cantering down the right flank. She spotted the run of Miedema who, in her trademark style, let the ball run coolly across her body before sending it low through Lucy Bronze’s legs and past Hampton.
✨ MAGIC MIEDEMA
She let’s the ball to the work and then places it beautifully to double Manchester City’s lead!
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Stand Out Performance
Since her arrival in the Barclays WSL over the winter, there have been glimpses of what Kerolin can offer this Manchester City squad. On this occasion, the Brazilian forward gave her most complete performance to date to help steer her team to victory. She was a crucial outlet throughout, constantly available whenever the hosts turned over the ball, and had the beating of Sandy Baltimore all evening. The change of formation also suited her and she played an integral role in both goals – delivering the ball for Aleixandri’s header that rebounded off the bar and providing the assist for Miedema in the late stages.
Quote of the Day
“Her [Vivianne Miedema] finishing didn’t surprise me because in my last ten years she scored against us every time we played her. We played a conti cup final in 2017, she scored the winner I was actually joking about that. I don’t know if she is a number nine, a number ten. I understand why people have moved her deeper. She wants the ball and she wants to be involved in the game. And that’s because naturally, she understands the game really well and she’s a huge impact player. For me it’s about getting Viv close to the goal. Tonight shows if you get her close to the goal she can create and score for you.“
Nick Cushing, Manchester City
Teams
MANCHESTER CITY
Ayaka Yamashita; Kerstin Casparij, Gracie Prior, Laia Aleixandri (c), Leila Ouahabi; Yui Hasegawa; Jill Roord, Jess Park; Kerolin Nicoli, Mary Fowler, Lily Murphy
Subs: Khiara Keating; Katie Startup; Laura Blindkilde Brown; Laura Coombs; Naomi Layzell; Vivianne Miedema; Laura Wienroither
Manager: Nick Cushing
CHELSEA
Hannah Hampton; Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Nathalie Björn, Sandy Baltimore; Erin Cuthbert, Keira Walsh; Aggie Beever-Jones, Catarina Macário, Lauren James; Mayra Ramírez
Subs: Becky Spencer; Katie Cox; Lola Brown; Niamh Charles; Maika Hamano; Oriane Jean-François; Wieke Kaptein; Ashley Lawrence; Sjoeke Nüsken; Johanna Rytting Kaneryd
Manager: Sonia Bompastor
