Chelsea Women 2 – 1 Tottenham Women

Chelsea went four points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Women’s Super League after a hard-fought 2-1 win against Tottenham.

It was third time lucky for this particular fixture, having previously been postponed twice and played 111 days after it was originally scheduled. The game also came four days after the reverse fixture – won 3-1 by Chelsea – and is the shortest gap between a fixture being played in the history of the WSL.

Chelsea dominated the first half – Sam Kerr’s header their first attempt on target inside 20 seconds – but it took 19 minutes for the Blues to make the breakthrough.

Emma Hayes’s side made good use of the short corner, with Jonna Andersson floating in a cross from the top left corner. Beth England was in the middle and nodded past Tinja-Riikka Korpela.

Chelsea continued to look devastating going forward, particularly down the wings, as player after player saw chances fall their way. However, a mix of good goalkeeping and bodies-on-the-line defending saw them restricted to just the one goal.

Tottenham sprung a surprise when they equalised just before the break with their first shot of the game. Kyah Simon whipped in a free-kick and an unmarked Kerys Harrop nodded home – the first goal Chelsea had conceded at home in the WSL in seven games, stretching back to October.

But mere seconds later and Kerr sent the Blues back ahead. Pernille Harder sent in a wonderful ball from the right and the Australia international was there to head in – the third header of the game – with a grateful Hayes puffing out her cheeks on the touchline.

Tottenham drastically improved after the break, restricting Chelsea’s ability to play down the wings and winning the ball higher up the pitch to put their opponents under pressure.

Their best chance of the half came just before the hour. Rosella Ayane cut into the area from the right flank and hit a curling effort goalwards. It had Chelsea No 2 Zecira Musovic scrambling to keep it out, but she did enough to send the ball onto the top of the net.

Signs of frustration soon began to creep in for Chelsea as Spurs tested their London rivals, but the Blues rediscovered their swagger as the clock ticked past the 80th minute

Erin Cuthbert trotted along the top of the 18-yard box, but her strike from range pinged off the bottom of the post. Then, her superb ball over the top saw Kerr fire into the net as the whistle went for offside. However, the replays showed that the striker was, in fact, onside.

However, the Blues ultimately did enough to see the game out and move four points clear of Arsenal, edging closer to another WSL title. Tottenham remain in fifth spot, although their bid for a top-three finish has been bought to an end, remaining 11 points from Manchester United in third with three games to play.

Player of the match – Sam Kerr

Sky Sports’ Sue Smith on co-commentary:

“Obviously for her goal, but her overall contribution has been excellent… her quality on and off the ball, her work rate. She’s just such a threat every time she goes forward.”

What’s next?

Sunday 1st May 7:30pm


Kick off 6:45pm

Chelsea are in next in action on Sunday when they face Birmingham in their penultimate game of the season, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 6.30pm. They welcome Manchester United to Kingsmeadow on May 8 as they look to clinch another WSL title.

Tottenham have three more games to play this season. They play away to Everton on Sunday, before a north London derby on Wednesday at the Emirates. They welcome Leicester to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 8 in their final game of the season.