Chelsea kicked off their Women’s Champions League campaign with a captivating 3-3 home draw with Wolfsburg on Wednesday evening.
The Blues impressed going forward but were shaky at the back, gifting their visitors all three goals at Kingsmeadow.
Emma Hayes made two changes to the side that beat high-flying Brighton in the Women’s Super League on Saturday, with Beth England replacing Fran Kirby up front and Ji So-yun coming into midfield in place of Sophie Ingle.
Chelsea looked strong from the outset and they took the lead inside 12 minutes when Sam Kerr netted a superb lob after she had been set free by Ji So-yun.
Against the run of play Wolfsburg then grabbed an equaliser. After the Blues failed to deal with an innocuous long ball, Tabea Wassmuth took full advantage, rounding Ann-Katrin Berger before tapping into an empty net.
Soon after, Chelsea were again their own worst enemy with Berger playing a hospital pass to Melanie Leupolz who was swiftly dispossessed by Lena Oberdorf. She then layed it off to Jill Roord, who finished emphatically.
It was a similar story after the break with Chelsea making yet another mistake three minutes into the second half. Jess Carter was the guilty party this time, under-hitting a back pass and allowing Wassmuth to score Wolfsburg’s third.
The Blues soon trimmed their lead back to a single goal, when Beth England smashed home from a corner, following a goalmouth scramble.
The Blues pushed hard for the equaliser but were frustrated for much of the second half. Eventually, they levelled things up in the 92nd minute, when Leupolz made a tackle inside the box and the ball fell to Pernille Harder, who made no mistake from close range.
Here is how Emma Hayes’ charges rated…
Ann-Katrin Berger (GK) – 3/10 – Usually so reliable but she was awful this evening, making two terrible mistakes. Did make an solid stop to keep the scores 3-2 on the hour mark.
Millie Bright (CB) – 4/10 – Seemed to struggle to find her range. In the end, she misplaced 30% of her passes in this one.
Jess Carter (CB) – 4/10 – Laid Wolfsburg’s third goal on a plate for them with a terrible back pass.
Magdalena Eriksson (CB) – 5/10 – Chelsea’s most convincing defender by some distance. Far from perfect though, making a few mistakes.
Erin Cuthbert (RWB) – 6/10 – Made a near-fatal error at the death and a bit wasteful in possession. Other than that, she impressed. Got up and down the wing, creating a few chances for her teammates.
Ji So-yun (CM) – 7/10 – Set up the opener with a perfectly-weighted ball over the top for Kerr. A real pass-master throughout.
Melanie Leupolz (CM) – 8/10 – Added thrust in midfield with her surging runs into the box. Good without the ball too, completing four tackles – one of which led to the equaliser.
Guro Reitan (LWB) – 7/10 – Full of energy and her crossing was a real threat.
Beth England (RF) – 7/10 – Caught the eye with her movement and aerial prowess. Her goal kick-started the Chelsea revival.
Sam Kerr (ST) – 7/10 – Timed her run to perfection and finished calmly for her delicious opener. Always looking to slip past the Wolfsburg defence.
Pernille Harder (LF) – 7/10 – Took up dangerous positions between the lines and was a threat in behind. Showed composure for the third goal.
Fran Kirby – 6/10 – Involved in the equaliser.
Niamh Charles – N/A
Jessie Fleming – N/A
Sophie Ingle – N/A
