The England star produced some huge stops in the first leg of this all-English European tie but it wasn't enough to prevent her side falling to defeat
Chelsea suffered their first defeat of the Sonia Bompastor era on Wednesday, losing the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City in a tight affair that finished 2-0 to the hosts. The Blues have been near-flawless in the first season under their new manager, winning 26 and drawing the other two of their fixtures before this encounter. However, their bid for that elusive European title was dealt a significant blow in Manchester, thanks to a brace from Vivianne Miedema.
In their second meeting with City in just five days, after beating them 2-1 in Saturday's League Cup final, Chelsea struggled to create many clear-cut chances, with their final ball regularly letting them down. Instead, it was Hannah Hampton who was called into action time and time again, though her good positioning meant saves to deny Kerolin, Jill Roord and Lily Murphy were all relatively comfortable. The England goalkeeper's most outstanding stop came on the hour, when she tipped Laia Aleixandri's header onto the bar, but Miedema was quickest to react to the second ball and her deadlock-breaking strike meant Hampton's efforts were in vain.
Chelsea reacted accordingly and put plenty of pressure on the City goal in the final stages, with Ayaka Yamashita producing a great stop of her own to thwart Wieke Kaptein after Johanna Rytting Kaneryd had hit the bar. However, try as they might, the Blues could not get on the scoresheet – the first time that has happened under Bompastor. That lack of a clinical touch was punished further by Miedema late on, when her cool finish on the counter gave City a 2-0 advantage which Chelsea will need a big performance to overturn at Stamford Bridge next week.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from the Joie Stadium…
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Hannah Hampton (7/10):
Positioned herself well and made some great saves, albeit in vain.
Lucy Bronze (5/10):
Had a couple of sloppy moments and couldn't really get going in attack.
Nathalie Bjorn (5/10):
Great on the ball and popped up with several timely interventions at the back, but had to do more for Miedema's second.
Millie Bright (6/10):
Dominant in her duels, though a little sloppy at times in possession.
Sandy Baltimore (5/10):
Won the ball back plenty while coming up with some big blocks, but was stuck in no man's land a bit as Kerolin got in behind her to create the second goal.
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Keira Walsh (5/10):
The onus was on City to dominate this game, so she wasn't going to set the tempo and really shine.
Erin Cuthbert (6/10):
Battled hard and was solid in possession.
Catarina Macario (4/10):
Worked hard but wasn't really offered the opportunity to make a real impact on the game in attack. Off at the break.
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Aggie Beever-Jones (5/10):
Did a lot of great defensive work, regaining possession more often than any other player, but it just didn't fall for her going forward.
Mayra Ramirez (4/10):
Had another intriguing duel with Laia Aleixandri, albeit with the Spaniard having more joy in comparison to Saturday's League Cup final. Final ball let her down a few times.
Lauren James (6/10):
Another really encouraging performance from a defensive perspective, even if she couldn't make a huge difference at the other end. Moved the ball well before going off before the hour.
AFPSubs & Manager
Wieke Kaptein (6/10):
Replaced Macario at the break and really put herself about. Often looked the most likely to score as Chelsea piled the pressure on.
Sjoeke Nusken (5/10):
Sold far too easily by Fowler's fake to cross, before her actual delivery which led to City's goal.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (6/10):
Provided a direct threat and was so close to scoring when she struck the bar.
Maika Hamano (5/10):
Injected fresh energy and a will to run and be an option. Wasn't found enough, however.
Sonia Bompastor (5/10):
Refreshed the line-up a little from Saturday and was proactive with her changes, but nothing worked. Surprising that she didn't ask her team to do more on the counter attack, with them creating very little of note until going behind.