Top of the Women’s Super League table and defending league title winners, Chelsea have continued their domination of domestic football with only one hiccup so far this season.
They powered through WSL and Champions League fixtures with manager Emma Hayes' absence, remaining unbeaten in 16 games. Inclusive of CL matches where they top group A and head into the CL and League Cup quarter-finals later on this year, but this is how their 2022 fared.
September
Chelsea started their 2022/23 campaign with a loss to newly promoted side Liverpool. Matt Beard’s side put two past the visitors, their second goal came in the dying minutes of the game after Fran Kirby took the lead in the opening minutes - all goals came from penalties.
The Blues then stuck it to Manchester City, scoring within the opening 15 seconds for a 2-0 win and then defeating West Ham 3-1 both at Kingsmeadow. It took Sam Kerr three games to find the net whereas Kirby had a flying start to the season with three goals in three games.
October
The side started the month with Hayes in absence due to an emergency surgery but hellbent on delivering a performance against Everton under Denise Reddy.
Kerr was third in line for the Ballon d’Or accolade, losing out to second-place Gunners Beth Mead and winner Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas while Blue’s defender Millie Bright finished in the top 20.
They also kicked off their CL campaign by stunning PSG 1-0 in France, Bright with the back post volley gave the Blues the lead by the half-hour mark, getting the better of former teammate Ramona Bachman.
Fixtures got tight from late October. Once back on home turf, Chelsea continued to bring home three points against Brighton in their 2-0 win, only to thrash Vllaznia 8-0 at Kingsmeadow three days later.
Kerr got four, Pernille Harder scored a hat-trick and Katerina Svitkova got one in the 78th minute, before they capped the month off with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa Kerr added to her goal tally and Lauren James joined the party with her two goals one either side of half time.
November
The Blues travelled to Leigh Sports Village, still without Hayes, and enjoyed a 3-1 victory as Kerr, James and Erin Cuthbert punished the host side while also conceding Alessia Russo’s 1-on-1 with Ann-Katrin Berger.
Niamh Charles, Millie Bright and Lauren James saw England Senior squad action against Japan and Norway in the November international break and returned ready for the London derby against Tottenham at the iconic Stamford Bridge.
As soon as she made her return, Emma Hayes picked up Manager of the Month awards alongside Reddy for their back-to-back wins for November.
Cuthbert was also awarded goal of the month for her half-volley into the back of the net. On the edge of the box, she brought the ball down with her chest, let it take a bounce and then smashed the ball into the top right corner to double the Blue’s lead. They topped the month with a 2-0 win over Real Madrid in the third round of six in the CL again on home turf.
December
The start of the month saw Chelsea pummel Leicester 8-0 with six different goal scorers before juggling domestic and European football flawlessly.
Real Madrid held them to a 1-1 draw when Reiten’s penalty rebounded off the back of goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez and into the back of the net at the hour mark.
Switching back to WSL action, they saw off Reading 3-2 before travelling to Albania for a comfortable 4-0 win against Vllaznia. They then hosted PSG at Stamford Bridge to finish the year top of group A after the Blues' 3-0 win.
The last action of the year saw Chelsea accept Tottenham's signing of striker Bethany England for a record transfer fee of £250,000. She's been with the club since the 2016 season, with a loan spell at Liverpool in 2017 before returning in 2018. But, she needs more game time to work her way back into the England squad ahead of the Women’s World Cup in the summer.
The final day of the year saw midfielder and Wales star Sophie Ingle be recognised in the New Years Honours List and will be awarded an OBE for her contributions to the Women’s game.
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