TWO MINUTES OF MAGIC BREAK CHELSEA HOODOO

THE comeback was stylish and the message to the rest of the Women’s Super League was clear: Chelsea mean business. Emma Hayes’ side had not beaten Manchester City since 2014 but they showed why they are the only unbeaten team in the league by coming from behind to move into second place. Two goals in three minutes, from Bethany England and Maren Mjelde, turned the match on its head after Caroline Weir’s opening volley gave City the lead. ‘Just breaking that curse of beating City is the milestone for now,’ said Hayes. ‘When it’s a bit tetchy this is a team that stays ice cool and I thought that was the big difference today. We conceded with their only shot on goal and their best player was their goalkeeper. We’re not efficient enough to really kill teams off but we’re working at it,’ City had conceded just once in this season’s WSL before this match, but with striker Ellen White largely isolated, they offered little at the other end to trouble Chelsea keeper Ann-Katrin Berger. With the home side dominating possession, City faced multiple surges of relentless Chelsea pressure but they took the lead against the run of play just before the hour mark. Ramona Bachmann played herself into trouble and was dispossessed, allowing Keira

Walsh to whip in a cross for the waiting Weir, who side-footed into the far corner of Berger’s goal. Chelsea finally found a way past resilient goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck with 10 minutes to go when

England nodded in the leveller from close range. City were stunned moments later when Mjelde — who had earlier struck the woodwork from 25 yards — doubled Chelsea’s lead, though she admitted afterwards that she knew little about it. England’s low goal-bound ball bobbled around the box and deflected off the Norway international before finding its way into the net. City had conceded more goals in two minutes and 35 seconds than they had all season. ‘I am disappointed that the goals have come from two rebounds, but it is a difficult place to come and you have to work hard to win here,’ said City manager Nick Cushing. ‘I thought we might have done enough but the game just got away from us.’ Chelsea are two points behind champions Arsenal with a game in hand.