Key events
6 min Pre-match, Arroyo told us she wanted her side to stay in the game early on, but they’ve done plenty more than that. But Chelsea are awake now, Thompson running off Nightswonger, and collecting a pass into stride before crossing; in the middle, Patten does just enough to lever Kerr out of it before, backing up from the left, James again shoots wide.
5 min Back come Chelsea, Walsh having a shot blocked, then James fires wide.
4 min Chelsea have plenty of time to get that goal back, but Bompastor will be concerned by so lackadaisical a start.
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Aston Villa (Grant 2)
Oh my days! Bronze plays a blind, casual square-pass and Grant, in the no 10 position, collects possession and spreads right to Wilms. Her cross, low to the near post, is on-point, and Grant, goal-side and running off Girma, dashes to meet it, lifting a fine finish over Hampton. What a start!
1 min Chelsea look to bait Villa into pressing, knocking the ball about the back four as they settle into rhytnm.
1 min Chelsea get us under way.
Chelsea look nice and relaxed in the huddle, plenty of laughter as Walsh gets them going. We’re ready.
Our teams are tunnelled, and here they come. This is Chelsea’s final home league game of the season.
These two teams have met 11 times in the WSL; Chelsea have won them all.
It really is too long since we saw Kerr and James together. If they’re at it today, I’m not sure what Villa can do about it.
Chelsea will know that, if they stop Hanson – only Khadija Shaw has scored more than her 10 league goals this season – they probably stop Villa. I’d not be surprised to see her drift wide and see if she can get at the inexperienced Buurman.
Bompastor tells Skywanted to find the strongest starting XI and Kerr, as the only no 9 in the squad, had to be involved.
Natalia Arroyo knows her team face a difficult task, Chelsea probably angry after their midweek tousing, so in the first instance she wants Villa to stay in the game, then fight hard.
Villa, meantime, will look to keep a low block, I expect, with Chastity Grant and Lucia Kendal breaking quickly and seeking to create for Kirsty Hanson. Villa currently sit eighth in the table, but will see sixth as still within reach.
So where is the game? Chelsea will look to play into Kerr and, if they can, get her turned and running either in behind or with the ball. while James wanders off the left in support. To make that happen, they’ll use Keira Walsh to control the pace of the game, with Kaptein and Nusken in particular bombing on.
The big news, though, is the return of Kerr. A side that has her and Lauren James in it can do anything to anyone, but how quickly can they gel?
This is a relatively young Chelsea XI – Veerla Buurman is 19, Wieke Kaptein 19 and Alyssa Thompson 21. I’m really looking forward to seeing how they get on as Bompastor looks to refresh the club, and if any of them do well enough to earn a midweek start when Arsenal visit.
Also going on:
Villa won last weekend for the first time since Brighton since beating Brighton on 11 January; they make one change, Lucy Parker dropping out with Océane Deslandes coming in.
Changes for Chelsea: out go Kadeisha Buchannan, Erin Cuthbert and Sandy Baltimore; in come Wieke Kaptein along with the returnees, Ellie Carpenter, starting after sitting on the bench in midweek, and Sam Kerr.
Teams!
Chelsea (4-3-3): Hampton; Carpenter, Girma, Bronze, Buurman; Walsh, Nusken, Kaptein; Thompson, Kerr, James. Subs: Peng, Spencer, Buchanan, Baltimore, Charles, Potter, Cuthbert, Shooter, Sarwie.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Roebuck; Wilms, Patten, Deslandes, Nightswonger; Jean-Francois, Taylor; Grant, Maritz, Kendall; Hanson. Subs: D’Anglelo, Maltby, Scott, Seymour, Lea, Hijikata, Salmon.
Referee: Callum Jones (Bootle)
Preamble
A legendary manager leaves a club and success continues: we saw it for half a generation after Chelsea sacked José Mourinho and for a season after Emma Hayes moved on, similarly so at Liverpool following the resignation of Jürgen Klopp. To what extent, though, was that down to processes so effective and inculcated that they outlasted the departed, versus the impetus of new ideas from the new incumbent? For Sonia Bompastor, the pressure is on.
Yesterday’s thumping derby win means Manchester City need a maximum of five points from thee games to regain the WSL crown; Chelsea, who last season won an undefeated domestic treble, were barely ever in the race. They did retain the League Cup, are still in the FA Cup – and the Champions League, just about – but another season like this one won’t be good enough for a club used to better.
Disappointment has many mothers, and Chelsea come into this afternoon’s game without Nathalie Björn, Myra Ramírez, Niamh Charles and Millie Bright, while Aggie Beever-Jones might still be absent too. On the other hand, though, Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter are available for a match the importance of which is far greater than itself.
Most pressingly, on Wednesday night Chelsea meet Arsenal in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, trailing the defending champions – and what a painful phrase that is for a side yet to win the thing – 3-1. A good performance today will give them momentum as they prepare for a task that is difficult but not impossible.
But this contest is about next season as well as this. Though currently, Chelsea sit fourth in the WSL, a win today takes them third and into the Champions League spots – two points ahead of Manchester United, who they host in the final round of games. Or, in other words, the title may not be at stake, but there’s still a helluva lot going on here.
Kick-off: 12pm BST, baby