Chelsea took control of the Women’s Super League title race with a narrow 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.
Emma Hayes’ side needed a win to get ahead of Manchester City at the top the table on goal difference. The result now takes the race, that the Chelsea had previously declared “done”, to the final day when they will take on Manchester United at Old Trafford. City are away to Aston Villa.
Just two goals separate the top two on goal difference and it could come down to that if both teams win their respective remaining fixture.
As expected, Chelsea dominated possession and created a majority of the opportunities in the first half. The first major opportunity came just shy of the 15-minute mark as Niamh Charles made a lung-busting run down the left and found Maika Hamano with her cross, but the Japan international couldn’t put her diving header on target.
The first real chance for Spurs came a few minutes later as Jess Naz picked the ball up in a good area and had the opportunity to play the pass to Celin Bizet in space. However, too many touches meant the passing lane was cut off and she took the shot on instead, firing it comfortably as Zecira Musovic.
Hamano made up for her previous miss before half-time as she broke the deadlock. Guro Reiten found space down the left and, this time, Hamano finished the cross with ease.
Spurs had a flurry of chances moments before the whistle, but Grace Clinton’s effort missed the target and then there was nobody in the box to meet a dangerous cross from Naz. Much like Sunday’s FA Cup final against Manchester United, it was the final ball that was letting Spurs down.
Robert Vilahamn’s side looked the more threatening in the early exchanges after the break. Defenders Luana Buhler and Ashleigh Neville both had opportunities but couldn’t find the net.
Chelsea regained a foothold as the second-half wore on and Hayes’ substitutes certainly made a difference and allowed them to see out the result. Despite a late onslaught from Spurs, the current champions just about held on for the win.
GK: Barbora Votikova – 6/10 – Parried a few chances in the first half and was fortunate Chelsea couldn’t capitalise.
RB: Ashleigh Neville – 6/10 – A difficult night up against Reiten and was beaten by the winger on a handful of occasions. Swapped flanks when Charlotte Grant came on for Nilden and had more joy…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at 90min EN…