Emma Hayes said Chelsea's progress since the 2021 Champions League final was evident after they were beaten by Barcelona in their semi-final first leg.
In a rematch from their sole European final, the Blues were edged out by the Spanish champions 1-0, in front of 27,697 fans at Stamford Bridge. Caroline Graham Hansen got the winner with a superb individual goal after just three minutes, unleashing a stunning shot beyond Ann-Katrin Berger to leave the hosts reeling.
But Chelsea recovered to put in a competitive display and would be heading to next week's second leg level had Lucy Bronze not made a last ditch clearance to deny Guro Reiten. And manager Hayes insisted after the defeat that Chelsea were still very much in the tie following the defeat.
