da aviator aposta： The Blues fell to defeat to their Manchester rivals in the league last month but got their revenge on Thursday to reach yet another Conti Cup final
da esoccer bet： Chelsea will face Arsenal in the Continental Cup final after narrowly defeating Manchester City on Thursday night, courtesy of Lauren James' deflected strike. It will be a rematch of last year's final and give the Blues a shot at revenge, after they lost that encounter 3-1 at Selhurst Park.
It was City, the hosts, who had the first glimpses at goal when Khadija Shaw hit the sidenetting and then headed a Lauren Hemp cross wide a few moments later. However, James broke the deadlock with just eight minutes on the clock when Chelsea ruthlessly punished a misplaced pass, Erin Cuthbert finding Mayra Ramirez and the Colombian picking out James, whose effort took a deflection that left Khiara Keating with no chance.
Greenwood did well to block a Ramirez shot when Chelsea pounced on another mistake not long after but, from there, it was all City. There were a few moments for the home side before half time, when Yui Hasegawa hit the target from range and Chloe Kelly fired off target after a good run into the box, but it was the second half when they really threw the kitchen sink at Chelsea.
Shaw tested Hampton from an angle, though she probably should have squared for a team-mate. The England goalkeeper then made an outstanding save to deny Hemp from point blank range, shifting her weight remarkably to dive the other way and thwart her international team-mate.
Hampton would come up big again before the end when she denied Shaw one-on-one but it was Eve Perisset's interventions at the death that made sure of the win. City had a corner in the final moments and just when it looked like Hampton was beaten, the full-back was there on the line to clear not once but twice, as Chelsea held on to the final whistle.
Emma Hayes' side are now into a fifth successive Conti Cup final, while City will hope to get their revenge in the Women's Super League, with the two level on points at the top of the table with just seven games to go.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Joie Stadium…
Getty ImagesWINNER: Hannah Hampton
'England's No.1, England's England's No.1' was the chant from the Chelsea section at the Joie Stadium on Thursday night as Hampton made outstanding save after outstanding save. The 23-year-old has some way to go to usurp Mary Earps with the Lionesses but after asserting herself as England's second-choice goalkeeper during the February international break, this was the performance of someone full of confidence right now.
Hampton made a number of good saves on the night but her stop to deny Hemp was simply sensational. The way she shifted her body weight to dive back across herself with so little time to react was so applaudable. One might argue that City deserved to score, such were the number and quality of chances created, but Hampton deserved her clean sheet.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Mayra Ramirez
There were just 34 minutes on the clock when Mayra Ramirez's night came to an end on Thursday. The Colombian had gone down a few minutes earlier after feeling a problem in her upper leg off the ball but seemed fine to continue after some attention from the physio. However, she couldn't play on and limped off just after the half hour mark in what will be a major concern for Chelsea.
The Blues lost star striker Sam Kerr to an ACL injury in the New Year before her back-up, Mia Fishel, suffered the same fate just a few weeks later. Ramirez was signed for a then-world-record fee in January to help the team cope with Kerr's absence and so to lose her, especially with the Champions League to return later this month, would be an absolutely huge blow for Hayes' side.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Lauren James
Remarkably, when James hit the back of the net in the opening minutes of this game, it was her first goal in over six weeks. The Blues have been scoring for fun lately, as were England over the February break, but the Chelsea star just hasn't been among the goals.
As Hayes' side enter the most important period of their season, to have the winger in goal-scoring form will be a real boost. They'll hope this strike can kickstart a little purple patch for her as the WSL title race ramps up, the FA Cup enters its latter stages and the Champions League returns.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Gareth Taylor
As soon as Chelsea took the lead in this game, it felt a little like they had City's number. Hayes set her team up perfectly and her opposing number, Gareth Taylor, struggled to counter it.
The Blues executed the plan excellently in the first half, sitting back and letting the hosts have the ball in their defensive third, patiently waiting to pounce on a mistake or press in the right moments to win it back. That's what led to the opening goal and it nearly led to another soon after, only for Ramirez's shot to be blocked by Greenwood.
City were much better in the second half and probably should've taken their chances. That's where Chelsea had to ride their luck a little, especially after seeing both Ramirez and Guro Reiten forced off with niggles, while already playing players out of position and down to bare bones in certain areas due to absences. But it all became a little desperate and Taylor's decision to change to a 3-5-2 when he made attacking subs took the wind out of City's sails a little.
On the other hand, Hayes set the Blues up in that first half perfectly, her players followed the plan brilliantly and it was the goal they got from doing that which decided the game.