Emma Hayes was philosophical after Chelsea’s 1-0 win against Tottenham, glad that her side had grasped its “second chance”, to keep them level on points with Manchester City going into the final day of the season. “I love the saying: ‘When someone gives you a second chance in life, make sure you don’t need a third,’ and I love that we take it to the last day,” she said.
Only a win would do, and the bigger the better to improve their goal difference. Manchester United await Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday, while City play Aston Villa needing to better Chelsea’s result. If they both win, Chelsea’s goal difference is better by two. Maika Hamano’s goal ensured the teams remain neck-and-neck.
This was never going to be as simple as the 8-0 drubbing of Bristol City on 5 May, which obliterated the goal difference gap to their rivals. However, the moment City dropped points to Arsenal and reopened the door for Hayes to earn a fifth consecutive title, it felt as if Chelsea would not just put a foot through the gap but shove at the door with renewed vigour.
“I said to them, proverbially speaking, it’s like going in with a gun in your mouth,” said Hayes, who leaves Chelsea at the end of the season. “How do you want to respond to that? What I love about the team is our ability … to keep our cool. We will find a way to keep performing, no matter the pressure.
“That will be the thing I remember the most. It won’t be the wins, it will be the ability of human beings to keep finding a way. People write you off, you wonder if you have more to give – we’re still finding a way after four titles in a row.”
Robert Vilahamn made three changes to the team that lost 4-0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Sunday. The goalkeeper Becky Spencer was replaced by Barbora Votikova for the visit of the WSL champions and Celin Bizet and Grace Clinton returned to the starting XI, with the latter having been ineligible against United.
Meanwhile, Chelsea swapped out three of the starters who thrashed Bristol City, with Sophie Ingle and Sjoeke Nüsken on the bench and Ève Périsset absent entirely, in favour of Catarina Macário, Melanie Leupolz and Ashley Lawrence.
There was a grin from the Chelsea manager two minutes in, a rendition of “Emma Hayes, you’ll miss PG Tips” lightening the mood at the start of a tense league fixture.
Chelsea dominated the opening half, playing towards a stand packed with almost as many visiting as home fans. They twice tested Votikova within five minutes, first through Macário, then Aggie Beever-Jones, and had a solid penalty shout waved away by the referee, Emily Heaslip, shortly after, when the ball appeared to come off Amanda Nildén’s arm and Luana Bühler’s arm in quick succession.
After Millie Bright’s wonderful crossfield ball to Niamh Charles was hurried into the box sooner than needed and Guro Reiten’s effort beat Votikova but was cleared by Amy James-Turner, it started to feel as if luck had abandoned the visitors. The goal that would ease those creeping nerves came in the 37th minute when Macário’s ball wide to Reiten was swept across the face of goal by the Norwegian and met by Hamano at full stretch.
A bad injury to Nildén in added time at the end of the half forced a change for the home team, with Charlotte Grant on after the defender was taken off on a stretcher. A couple of corners for Tottenham breathed life into their attack after the break, the first well-read and cleared by Bright, before the second dangerously ping-ponged around the box with Beever-Jones eventually blocking Bühler’s effort.
Chelsea weathered that brief storm and began to regain control heading into the final 20 minutes. In the end, a single goal was enough for the win, but will it be enough for the title? We will find out on Saturday.
