Lauren James grabbed a dramatic 93rd-minute winner for Chelsea as they showed the spirit of champions in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Everton in the Women's Super League.
Having seen off the same opponents in the FA Cup last time out, confidence in the home camp of enjoying another comfortable afternoon’s work should have been high. The WSL leaders did, however, struggle to get going against stubborn rivals from Merseyside that were happy to sit in, get bodies behind the ball and make life as difficult as possible for James, Keira Walsh and Co.
The only opportunity of note in the opening 45 minutes came early on, with Maelys Mpome seeing claims that the ball had been bundled over the line following a scramble from a corner waved away before the defence versus attack routine set in. Chelsea were always running the risk of getting caught by a sucker punch, and that duly arrived in the 51st minute as Kelly Gago drifted into the space left by an advancing defensive unit and calmly fired across Hannah Hampton into the top corner.
Said lead only lasted 11 minutes, with Mayra Ramirez - who was allowed to turn with her back to goal and drill a low effort across and beyond Courtney Brosnan - refusing to let the Blues' unbeaten run come to an end. And with the clock ticking down, Lionesses star James stepped up to complete a remarkable turnaround as she collected the ball 20 yards from goal and sent a stunning left-footed effort skidding into the back of the net – sparking wild scenes of celebration.
GOAL rates Chelsea’s players from Kingsmeadow...
