Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Blues maintain unbeaten start
NORWEGIAN STRIKER’S WINNER KEEPS CHELSEA IN TITLE HUNT
MAREN MJELDE scored the winner as Chelsea fought back from a goal down to beat title rivals Manchester City 2-1 at Kingsmeadow.
Caroline Weir was back among the goals and her low shot just before the hour mark gave Manchester City the lead.
However, goals from Bethany England and Mjelde changed the complexion of the game and ensured the Blues retained their unbeaten start to the season.
The first half was a cagey affair and twice Manchester City keeper Ellie Roebuck made great saves to deny England.
Just before the break, Norwegian Mjelde hit the bar from 25 yards, but it remained scoreless as pressure mounted on both sides to get the opener.
In the 53rd minute Roebuck was beaten again as So-Yun Ji struck one from just outside the box but the low drive shot hit the post.
Nick Cushing’s side finally broke the deadlock on 59 minutes. Keira Walsh’s superb ball found Weir, who controlled the ball and struck it low into the bottom corner.
However, Chelsea kept up the pressure, forcing Roebuck into making more fantastic saves, including one from Ramona Bachmann with 20 minutes to go.
But the Citizens couldn’t hold out and when Ji’s 78th minute strike from outside the box was met with an equally great save, the parried ball fell to England, who scored an equaliser the hosts deserved.
Three minutes later, Mjelde popped up to score a second and put the Blues into contention to regain their place at the top of the Barclays FA Women’s Super League.
The drama resumed as Manchester City had a penalty shout in stoppage time for handball, but referee Amy Fearn waved it away as Chelsea made it 10 wins on the spin.
Mjelde said: “I like to score goals. I don’t remember much from the situation.
“The ball came in again and I went for it. The goalkeeper punched it out and Beth shot and I think it hit my quad.
“It was a strong comeback from us, we showed character. Winning against City, we haven’t done that a lot in the last couple of years. It’s a massive win and important goals, so it looks good.
“We know we are a fit team that will do well over 90 minutes. We just wait until the end of the game to finish it off.”
■ To follow the action, buy tickets and sign up for The FA Player’s live Barclays FA Women’s Super League coverage, visit womenscompetitions.thefa.com.