Chelsea obliterate Man City to send Champions League statement to familiar foe | OneFootball

Can we play you every week? At the culmination of four meetings in 12 days between Chelsea and Manchester City, perhaps even the answer from Sonia Bompastor’s side is a “no”. But Chelsea are through to the Women’s Champions League semi-finals once again, saving their finest performance of the fortnight to eviscerate the visitors at Stamford Bridge, requiring just 44 minutes to overturn their two-goal first-leg defeat and seeing out late pressure to get the job done. City will be sick of the sight of Chelsea; the one game of the four they did win proved to be most inconsequential.

Chelsea were jubilant, a mammoth effort rewarded with the comeback they knew was possible. “We were never in doubt,” said captain Millie Bright. In the past two weeks, they have won the League Cup, stretched their advantage at the top of the Women’s Super League, and progressed to a fourth Champions League semi-final in five seasons.

They will face a familiar foe: the two-time defending champions Barcelona, who have defeated Chelsea in the semi-finals in the last two years and destroyed Wolfsburg 10-2 on aggregate in the other quarter-final. It will be the moment Bompastor’s hugely impressive debut season has been building towards and the ultimate test, but even the reigning champions will watch back this obliteration of City and feel a sense of trepidation.

For anyone in maroon, the experience facing Chelsea in this all-English quarter-final proved to be a deeply uncomfortable one, perhaps even humiliating in the first-half blitz. Judging by the frustration of Vivianne Miedema, the exasperation of Laia Aleixandri and the bewilderment of interim manager Nick Cushing on the touchline, this was a damaging and perplexing collapse. “The perfect night for us,” Bompastor said. “It was a difficult challenge but we believed it was possible, that made the difference.” After Sandy Baltimore pulled the first back after 13 minutes, Chelsea were unrelenting; the 15-minute spell before half-time brought two more, from Nathalie Bjorn and Mayra Ramirez, yet it could have been five or six by the break.

open image in gallery

Miedema shows her frustration on a disappointing night for Man City (Getty Images)

That it wasn’t allowed City to force some late pressure. Miedema, who scored both goals in last week’s 2-0 win, went close with a low drive past the post. Chelsea fell a little deeper, a little more inclined to thrash the ball anywhere as they cleared their lines. But this was their performance of the season under Bompastor, a display which at its brightest carried a physicality and dynamism turned up to levels that City could not live with. Chelsea have built a young, hungry collection of runners and Bompastor will relish pointing them in Barcelona’s direction in the latest meeting of their Champions League rivalry next month.

Perhaps inspired by Arsenal’s frantic tempo in overturning a 2-0 first-leg defeat against Real Madrid at the Emirates, Chelsea were unrelenting and irrepressible from the start. Bruised by City ending their 28-game unbeaten run last week in Manchester, they brought intensity that appeared to catch Cushing’s side by surprise. Chelsea were immediately sharper, with Lauren James dispossessing Gracie Prior – the first of several challenges won by the forward – and Ramirez charging through Jill Roord. There was no time for City to breathe: even the composed Yui Hasegawa was overrun, at one stage turning to find herself surrounded by Ramirez and Wieke Kaptein.

open image in gallery

The home team celebrate another goal to secure a game with Barcelona (Getty)

Chelsea kept coming and City found there was no way to slow them down. Bjorn’s header hit the post after an initial 10 minutes of dominance, then Lucy Bronze burst into the box with a sharp one-two and struck the upright with the outside of her foot. Baltimore was there to slam in the rebound. Bompastor was flapping her arms as Erin Cuthbert went to ground under the challenge of Aleixandri. No penalty, but Chelsea went again and Miedema was forced to clear Bjorn’s header off the line. A third chance for Bjorn from a corner brought the equaliser, her header looping in.

By that stage, it really was all Chelsea. Before then, Hannah Hampton had been forced to make a sharp stop down low to deny Mary Fowler, with Kerolin next to strike on target. But without Khadija Shaw, ruled out of both legs of this quarter-final due to a hamstring injury, adding to the absence of Lauren Hemp, City lacked a presence up front and their clearances kept coming back. At the other end, Ramirez tormented Aleixandri. Just before half-time, she forced the City captain into conceding a throw-in. In a blink, City lost possession carelessly and James was teeing up Ramirez to add the third.

open image in gallery

Mayra Ramirez, left, celebrates scoring her team's third goal with teammate Lauren James (Getty)

Job done? Not quite. Khiara Keating quietly had an excellent game in goal for the visitors, saving well from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and the tireless Cuthbert in the second half. The threat was carried by Chelsea on the break, with Cuthbert striking the bar in another late drive, but the pace had slowed. Only a goal away from forcing extra time, City found some belief; Miedema was an inch or two from dragging them level again.

But there was only going to be one winner. Chelsea are going to be league champions this season. They are already League Cup winners and the FA Cup could follow. City could have spoiled it by knocking them out of the prize they want to win above all else, only for Chelsea to show they are the best in the country all over again.