Sonia Bompastor’s first game in charge of Chelsea ended in a nervy 1-0 win against Aston Villa on the opening night of the Women’s Super League season at Kingsmeadow.
Tasked with the unenviable job of succeeding Emma Hayes, under whom the Blues five consecutive WSL titles, the former Lyon manager saw her new side edge to an unconvincing victory courtesy of Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s excellent solo goal late in the first half, steering the ball beyond Villa goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo in a moment of rare quality.
Villa for their part displayed a steely determination to limit their hosts to a single goal in what was an impressive first game in charge for new boss Robert de Pauw, and might have snatched a point in spectacular fashion at the death when D’Angelo came up for a corner and saw her header brilliantly turned over the bar by Hannah Hampton.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Sabrina D''Angelo goes SO close to a stoppage time equaliser! 😲#BBCFootball #WSL pic.twitter.com/VXbrFj9CpR
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) September 20, 2024
Chelsea should have gone in front after four minutes when Guro Reiten’s cross was met at the far post by Sjoeke Nusken, but her first-time cross-shot sailed across goal and away to safety.
Reiten was at the heart of Chelsea’s early creative play. It was her ball in towards the six-yard box that was headed straight into the hands of Villa goalkeeper D’Angelo, then she skewed a decent opportunity wide after finding space to meet Rytting Kaneryd’s cut-back.
The deadlock was broken after 36 minutes and it was all Rytting Kaneryd’s own work. The ball arrived at he feet in a central position with Lucy Bronze striding up outside her. Feigning to pass, she cut back inside onto her left foot, left defender Paula Tomas on the ground and sent an effort curling around the dive of D’Angelo and into the corner for the first goal of Bompastor’s reign.
Millie Bright ought have doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time when she miscued a header from Erin Cuthbert’s deep cross, glancing her effort wide from six yards out.
Rachel Daly sent a head up and on to Hampton’s crossbar from Kenza Dali’s cross in the first moments of the second half as Villa reminded Chelsea of their threat, moments after Mayra Ramirez had thumped an effort into the side netting for the hosts.
Cuthbert lashed a shot over the bar from just outside the box as the game took on a frenetic energy. There was a new urgency to Chelsea’s play that hinted they were wary of Villa’s attacking danger.
Moments later, Cuthbert again tried her luck, seeking to catch out D’Angelo with a spinning drive from range that the goalkeeper got down to well.
Lucy Parker almost turned the ball past her own goalkeeper from Chelsea substitute Maika Hamano’s cross, only a smart stop from D’Angelo preventing the champions from sealing the win.
Daly’s thumping header was beaten away by Hampton in stoppage time then D’Angelo, up for a last-gasp free-kick, saw her effort brilliantly turned over by her counterpart in the Chelsea goal as Villa’s brave challenge fell short.
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