UEFA Women’s Champions League action returned as Chelsea hosted Manchester City at Stamford Bridge for the second leg of the quarter-finals.
Manchester City held a 2-0 aggregate lead going into the match, courtesy of a brace from Vivianne Miedema in the first leg. This fixture marked the fourth consecutive meeting between the two sides, with Chelsea winning 2-1 in both the League Cup final and the Women’s Super League, while City secured a 2-0 victory in the first leg of this European tie.
The winners of this clash would face Spanish giants Barcelona, who progressed to the semi-finals with a commanding 10-2 aggregate victory over Wolfsburg.
Lineups
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Hampton, Bronze, Bright, Björn, Baltimore, Walsh (Jean-François 91’), Cuthbert, Kaptein, James, Kaneryd, Ramirez (Beever-Jones 71’).
Manchester City (4-3-3): Keating, Casparij, Prior, Alexandri, Ouahabi, Hasegawa (Layzell 85’), Roord (Park 65’), Miedema, Kerolin, Murphy, Fowler.
First Half
Manchester City kicked off proceedings, looking to protect their aggregate advantage. Chelsea, however, were on the front foot from the outset, with Lauren James attempting an early left-footed shot from the right side of the box, only for it to drift wide.
Mayra Ramirez then tried her luck with a right-footed effort from the centre of the area, but her shot also missed the target. Chelsea’s breakthrough came when Sandy Baltimore capitalised on Lucy Bronze’s effort rebounding off the crossbar, curling a superb left-footed shot past Khiara Keating into the top right corner.
City looked for a response, with Mary Fowler forcing Hannah Hampton into a crucial save, resulting in a corner. Chelsea doubled their lead soon after when Nathalie Björn met Baltimore’s pinpoint delivery, heading the ball over Miedema and into the net to level the aggregate score at 2-2.
Lauren James nearly added a third with a long-range strike that went just wide, but Chelsea did not have to wait long. Mayra Ramirez made it 3-0 on the night, connecting with a James cross and finishing clinically beyond Keating. She almost netted again moments later, but Keating was equal to the challenge.
Half-Time: Chelsea 3-0 Manchester City
Second Half
Chelsea restarted with confidence, but City came out fighting, pressing high and dominating possession in the early exchanges.
The visitors were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position, with Miedema laying it off to Mary Fowler, but the Chelsea wall held firm. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd came close to a fourth for Chelsea after outpacing Leila Ouahabi, but Keating made a vital save to keep City in contention.
Miedema had a golden opportunity to restore parity in the aggregate scoreline, striking from the centre of the area, but her shot veered wide of the right post. Erin Cuthbert then attempted to extend Chelsea’s lead further with an audacious long-range strike, but the ball rattled off the crossbar.
Despite late pressure from City, Chelsea held firm, completing an impressive comeback to book their place in the semi-finals.
Full-Time: Chelsea 3-0 Manchester City (Agg: 3-2)
Referee: Catarina Isabel Ferreira Campos
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