Guro Reiten’s first-half penalty kept up Chelsea’s perfect start to the season and secured a 12th successive victory for Sonia Bompastor with a 1-0 win over Man Utd.
The Blues opened up a five-point gap at the top of the WSL in the only game of the weekend without getting out of second gear at Kingsmeadow, and never looked in danger of losing their lead once they went ahead after 17 minutes.
The goal which ended Man Utd’s own unbeaten start came after Simi Awujo was caught in possession in her own half by Erin Cuthbert, and after feeding Mayra Ramirez, a one-two with Maika Hamano set her into the box, where she was brought down by Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
Reiten, who had already scored in each of her previous three WSL games, made it four in a row from 12 yards with a perfect penalty, despite the Man Utd goalkeeper guessing the right way.
Man Utd came into the weekend with the league’s meanest defence but the hosts looked the most watertight in South London for most of the game. The visitors registered only a single shot until the last minute of normal time, when Melvine Malard crashed an effort against the crossbar out of nothing.
Chelsea should have already added to their lead by that point, with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd guilty of failing to square for a Ramirez tap-in after half-time, while Cuthbert also pulled a fingertip stop out of Tullis-Joyce.
Shortly before Malard’s near miss, Ramirez should have complemented her first-half penalty win with a goal of her own, but fired straight at Tullis-Joyce from Kaneryd’s pull-back.
Analysis: Missed opportunity for under-par Man Utd
Sky Sports’ Ron Walker at Kingsmeadow:
“No doubt Chelsea are, pound for pound, a better side than Man Utd. They finished 20 points ahead of them six months ago, after all, thrashing them 6-0 on the final day.
“But this was not a Blues side at its best yet they still had the better of the game throughout at Kingsmeadow against the only other unbeaten side in the division.
“Sonia Bompastor will be pleased her side found a way to win despite being at times off-colour, but Marc Skinner should have questions behind closed doors about how they balanced stopping Chelsea and implementing their own game plan.
“We saw Tottenham go toe-to-toe with Chelsea earlier this season and score twice, though they were also found wanting defensively as they conceded five times – that was too open but it showed that the Blues can be got at.
“Man Utd only threatened that inside the final five minutes and that was when they had no other choice – and they found themselves a couple of inches away from snatching a late equaliser.
“Skinner publicly stated his side got their tactics right but what he has seen with his own eyes, as well as the statistics, cannot back that up.”
Bompastor ‘a bit disappointed’ despite win
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor speaking to Sky Sports:
“I think it was a tough game today, we were expecting that. Man Utd do not concede a lot of goals so we knew they were coming with a good defensive organisation, and we had to have a really good game with the ball.
“Especially with the wind today, it was difficult for us to build and to play more, so I am just a bit disappointed at the fact we couldn’t play more.
“Sometimes the most important thing is to get the three points, especially because we have been in a run playing five games in two weeks. I think the players are a little bit fatigued as well.”
Skinner proud despite first defeat
Man Utd manager Marc Skinner speaking to Sky Sports:
“Chelsea are the best team in the country, they’re the champions for a reason. We said we would give everything from the off and the players have given everything.
“Both teams had to play the conditions, but the pride I feel for the team and their commitment to what we’re doing, and know we can do, I’m proud of their performance.
“For us it was about being calculated and always opening up more in the second half, we changed shape in the last 15 minutes to really give an attacking threat.
“We opened up, Chelsea took a few more opportunities. You have to balance the game, you go toe-to-toe with Chelsea and they probably win against most teams.”
