Bompastor’s Chelsea march on in WSL as Reiten penalty sinks United | OneFootball

Sonia Bompastor’s extraordinary start to life in the WSL continues at Kingsmeadow. It was Chelsea’s eighth win in as many league games and opened up a five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City at the top of the WSL. Scarily, this form is coming at the beginning of the French manager’s tenure, when they should be in transition, while the players are still getting to know the former Lyon manager and her style of play.

“For my perfect vision of the game model we are not where I want to be,” said Bompastor. “That’s normal, it takes a lot of time. I’m quite happy with the defensive stuff, when we are out of possession. In possession, there is room for improvement. It needs to be better if we want to control the game and be dominant.”

It was a tale of two managers at Kingsmeadow, both unbeaten, one being applauded and one decidedly under pressure. After three full seasons in charge at United, Marc Skinner’s position is under almost constant scrutiny. A first defeat added to three draws puts them fifth in the league and the small “Skinner out” signs remain ever-present, with fans latching on to the subtle disquiet of every recently departed player in interviews.

There was cause for United to be itching for revenge, despite having beaten the Blues in the semi-finals on the way to a historic first FA Cup in May. A humiliating 6-0 defeat at Old Trafford on the final day of last season, a week after they lifted their first major trophy, hurt. After the battering, in which the Colombian forward Mayra Ramírez ran riot, the beleaguered Reds traipsed round the edge of the pitch with their FA Cup while Chelsea received their WSL winners’ medals and trophy in front of the corner of ecstatic away fans.

The pain of that defeat will probably never go – Rachel Williams said as much in pre-season, when she included it in a list of the moments that she will never shake off. “It still sits with me now, it’s not gone,” she said. “It wasn’t us. It wasn’t good enough. I’m glad that a lot of the girls still feel that last day.”

Here the opportunity for vengeance felt distant. Despite being a meeting of the final two unbeaten WSL sides, the traffic and energy was one way. It was indicative of the fact that, despite their unbeaten run, United have been far from dominant.

By half-time United were only a goal down and they could be grateful for that. Chelsea had five shots – two on target – to United’s zero in the first period, 19 touches in the box to three and 69.1% possession. The only stat in which United had the edge? Fouls, with 12 conceded and three yellow cards to Chelsea’s three fouls and zero bookings. The home fans were taking no prisoners. “We won the league, at Old Trafford”, “just like London, your city is blue” and “6-0, in your own backyard”, among the chants.

Skinner’s post-match reaction was confusing. When asked whether his team had played with a defensive mentality, and if that was the aim, he replied, contradictorily: “It’s not a defensive mentality. You have to have a defensive mentality playing against the top teams. Games are too much now for you to just go and attack and attack and attack. In the last few games, we’ve been able to do that. Tell me the last team that had 20 shots against Chelsea? It doesn’t happen.

“These games are always tight, Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, they’re always tight. We will review it. The reality was, in that game we had relative control.”

The source of the goal was another punch to the gut for the visitors. Maika Hamano’s ball released Ramírez and the United goalkeeper, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, dived into the legs of their Old Trafford tormenter, bringing her down and conceding a penalty that Guro Reiten converted.

United marginally improved after the break but their Brazilian forward Geyse was their only convincing threat. Chelsea should have doubled their lead after weathering a brief spell of pressure, Erin Cuthbert forcing a save from Tullis-Joyce and Lucy Bronze putting the ball wide from a corner at the back post.

There was a furious push for an equaliser from United in stoppage time, the substitute Melvine Malard striking the woodwork and a corner grazing the crossbar, but it was not enough.

Bompastor marches on and Skinner remains in the spotlight, the narrow margin between the sides the only positive for United on the windiest of days.

Header image: [Photograph: James Fearn/Getty Images]