Key events
38 min: Daly, who is absolutely everywhere for Villa right now, is dispossessed by Beever-Jones but then the visitors win it back. Possession is exchanging hands frequently at the moment but Chelsea come forward now.
36 min: Beever-Jones doesn’t look the most comfortable, she crouched for a moment but she is okay to continue at the moment. The Blues come forward once again and this time it is Carter who wins a corner. Macario takes it short to Kirby, she plays it back to Macario but the resulting cross is blocked.
34 min: If Villa can keep the scoreline at 1-0 before half-time it will be impressive after going down to 10, that will be their target before they can catch their breath in the break. Chelsea are pressing for a second but Daly does well to block.
32 min: Chelsea are initially pinned in the midfield but the team work it upfield, Lawrence pops it in but Mayling sees it out for another corner – Mayling looking exhausted already here. The delivery is good again from Macario but Nusken’s effort is wide.
30 min: Chelsea create a chance with Charles crossing in but Maritz gets there to clear for a corner. Macario takes the set piece again but Poor punches clear, Hamano pops it back in but the keeper collects.
29 min: Chelsea may be winning but if you are Barcelona you are surely licking your lips at the prospect of playing the team in the Women’s Champions League this Saturday. Their attack remains frustrated with the latest seeing Hamano offside. The Blues still looking slightly off their best here.
27 min: Chelsea play the ball left and right but they can’t puncture the Villa defence, the visitors are holding up well here considering the circumstances.
25 min: Macario takes the corner and it is a good delivery, captain Charles gets a head to it but it drifts just wide.
24 min: Villa have reacted well to conceding but it is Chelsea who continue to press here. They are being patient in their build-up and have had the lion share in possession, now they win a corner.
22 min: The goals scored by Chelsea tonight are not only important for the win but also for the table. If they and Manchester City win the rest of their games the title will be decided on goal difference.
20 min: For the goal Charles makes a great cross to Beever-Jones, who finishes so well.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Aston Villa (Beever-Jones, 18′)
There’s the first, maybe the first of many.
17 min: Poor comes good again as the ball is popped in but she reads it and confidently takes it – the teenager looks confident since coming on. I still can’t wrap my head around Leat’s red card, what was she thinking handling the ball? She only needed to stick a foot out to block the ball but I suppose it was a snap reaction. Her team have reacted really well to going down to 10 though.
15 min: Chelsea work the ball well through the team and Beever-Jones crosses in but Hamano is an inch or two from finding the back of the net.
13 min: Hamano pops in a peach of a ball and Nusken looks to tap home but Poor reads it well to collect. Villa are on the counter and Nobbs makes a great run through the middle and she takes a punt but it is over the bar.
12 min: A word for Poor too, the headlines will be Leat’s red card but this is quite the day for 17-year-old Poor who makes her WSL debut for the club – definitely not the scenario she would be wanting her debut to happen in.
10 min: Macario’s delivery is really good but it’s cleared well at the back post. Buchanan sends it back in but Dali clears, Villa have defended those well but can they keep this up throughout? It would be a heroic effort if so.
9 min: This is going to be a long evening for this Villa side now. Charles makes a good run but Corsie pulls her back, the Villa captain gets a yellow card and gives away the free kick.
8 min: Macario took the free kick resulting from that red card but it deflects over the bar for Chelsea corner. It’s a good delivery but Daly does well to clear. What a frantic start.
6 min: Leat walks off, she is already the team’s second choice keeper with Daphne van Domselaar out injured. Sophia Poor is now on with Ebony Salmon off, unfortunate for Salmon who takes one for the team. The red card came as Leat handled outside her area on what would have been a sure goal for Nusken.
RED CARD! Chelsea 0-0 Aston Villa (Leat, 4′)
Leat handled the ball outside of her box and she is sent off!
4 min: A really rogue pass from Ingle to the wide channel sees it rocket into the stands and Villa are able to set up an attack. But they aren’t on the ball for long with Buchanan winning it back well.
2 min: Chelsea start with a spell of possession but both finding their feet in this one. A note that Villa’s Simone Magill makes her 100th WSL appearance this evening.
Kick-off! Chelsea 0-0 Aston Villa
Here we go then.
The players are out at Kingsmeadow. Can Chelsea bounce back from their recent losses? Or will Aston Villa cause an upset? All to come with kick-off at 7pm BST.
Do send in any snack chat you have, tonight I am tucking into some chocolate digestives for this clash. Another topic which I would like to hear your thoughts on is what legacy Emma Hayes will leave in the WSL when she leaves at the end of the season. You can get in touch via email or X (@rendellx)
Aston Villa boss Carla Ward said on Rachel Daly, who plays for the first time tonight since announcing her international retirement: “Daly is a top professional, she has inspired many and she will continue to do so. In the week I have said England’s loss is Villa’s gain.”
Aston Villa have seen two teams beat Chelsea and keep them relatively quiet in the past few weeks. They didn’t have too many chances against Arsenal in the Conti Cup final and Manchester United did an excellent defensive job in the Women’s FA Cup semi-final. Of course Chelsea do eventually find a way through the defence and that is where goalkeepers have had to put in particularly good saves, particularly from shots from Lauren James’ boot. But they have blueprints to work from to defeat Chelsea this evening.
Have you listened to our weekly women’s football podcast? This week is focuses on the Women’s FA Cup and the fact there will be a new winner this season:
Aston Villa manager Carla Ward is wary of Chelsea this evening. “A wounded animal is a dangerous animal,” Ward said. “It’s as clear as that. Emma and her team are mentality monsters, we know that.
“They are hurting and you don’t ever want to play a team that’s hurting, especially a Chelsea team who are champions. They will want to react and I have absolutely no doubt they will react. They have world-class players, a world-class manager and they will be ready. They will want to put things right to make sure they stay on track to win the league.”
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes was asked about how the team are responding after the two tough losses recently. She said she has asked her players to “show up” for the other competitions they are left competing in but she did note she thought the team were taken for granted.
“I just want the players to go out and enjoy themselves tomorrow,” Hayes said. “I want them to play in front of a fanbase that I truly hope appreciates this group of players.
“I believe this team over a number of years has delivered so much success for this club and to these fans, and sometimes I feel the players get taken for granted on that. So I want our fans to show appreciation.
“I care that they realise the level of success we have had is difficult to do all the time, to keep winning and winning and winning. I’m proud that we keep doing that even if it doesn’t always go our way. We have to pick ourselves up and go again.”
Some big news from France as Ada Hegerberg has extended her contract with Lyon until 2027. Since joining the club in 2014 she has won eight league titles and six Champions League trophies.
Another big headline from the team news is that Lauren James is not included. Chelsea play Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League this weekend and so I am guessing she is being rested for that, I will let you know if there is any confirmation over her not being included tonight.
The team news is here. There is a first start for Catarina Macario for Chelsea.
Chelsea:
Aston Villa:
Preamble
Hello and welcome back to our Women’s Super League coverage. Tonight defending champions Chelsea take on Aston Villa in a bid to reclaim top of the table.
Manchester City are currently three points clear at the top but tonight’s match is Chelsea’s game in hand to try and keep their hope of silverware this season alive. Over the past few weeks the Blues have lost the Conti Cup final and their Women’s FA Cup semi-final and a loss tonight would be a significant blow to their WSL bid with just four game remaining following this evening’s game.
Aston Villa will do everything in their power to stop Chelsea’s hunt for a fifth consecutive season. Carla Ward’s team have had an underwhelming season after an impressive campaign in the 2022-23 season. They are seventh as things stand but a win tonight would close the gap on the top six.
We will take a look at what both managers have said in the build-up shortly. But first let’s take a look at the team news before kick-off at 7pm BST.
