Chelsea took a significant step toward securing the Women’s Super League (WSL) title with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Manchester City, thanks to a late winner from Erin Cuthbert. With only five games left in the season, the defending champions remain unbeaten, showcasing their resilience in a thrilling second-half comeback at the Etihad Stadium.
At the close of the previous season, the two teams were separated only by goal difference. Now, following this latest result, a significant 15-point gap exists between Chelsea and fourth-placed City. The home side, however, may feel hard done by a controversial first-half incident that could have altered the outcome of the match.
In the first half, City thought they had doubled their lead when Jess Park curled a shot into the top corner from just outside the penalty area. However, the referee had already stopped play for a free kick, blowing the whistle just as Park connected with her shot. City’s interim head coach later revealed that officials admitted they had made a mistake by not playing the advantage.
Before that moment, City had taken the lead in the 32nd minute through Kerolin. The forward, who had been instrumental in a Champions League clash just days earlier, tormented Chelsea’s left-back with her pace and skill. She eventually broke the deadlock with a superb individual effort, weaving her way through the defense before slotting the ball into the far corner.
Despite going into halftime trailing, Chelsea emerged in the second half as a different team, launching wave after wave of attacks. The equalizer came when Aggie Beever-Jones finished a well-worked move, meeting Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s cutback with precision.
What followed was an onslaught, with Chelsea relentlessly pushing forward. Rytting Kaneryd, a constant menace, struck the post, while Khiara Keating, City’s goalkeeper, produced a series of outstanding saves to keep the visitors at bay. She denied Wieke Kaptein with a diving stop, made a crucial low save to prevent Rytting Kaneryd from scoring, and reacted brilliantly to keep out another Kaptein attempt.
Even in the final minutes, Keating continued to frustrate Chelsea, making a superb save to deny Lauren James. However, the breakthrough finally came in stoppage time when Cuthbert’s precise header sealed the victory for the league leaders, sending their traveling fans into celebration.
City had started the match strongly, with Kerolin causing repeated problems for Chelsea’s defense. Her early effort forced a save before she eventually opened the scoring. Just before halftime, she once again found herself running at Chelsea’s backline, drawing a foul from Millie Bright just outside the penalty area. As the ball rolled to Park, she instinctively fired it into the net, only for the referee’s whistle to cut celebrations short.
The match marked Chelsea’s second win over City in three encounters within nine days. Another meeting between these sides looms in the Champions League, where Chelsea will need to overturn a two-goal deficit. Given their ability to stage comebacks, they remain a formidable force in the competition.
