Miedema double gives Manchester City first-leg lead as Chelsea finally beaten

Sonia Bompastor said “nothing is impossible”, after two goals from Vivianne Miedema condemned Chelsea to a first defeat this season and gave Manchester City a two-goal lead going into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

In the second of four consecutive meetings between the two teams, a gutsy performance from an injury‑hit City and two goals from the ­Women’s Super League record goalscorer gave them an assured lead going into the second leg at Stamford Bridge next Thursday.

Bompastor said: “I feel a lot of frustration. Now, it’s about making sure we analyse the game right. We watch the game again and analyse the game with the players. I take responsibility for the performance and the result. I’m very hard on myself. My job tomorrow is to make sure we have a positive mindset going into the next two games. We’ve only lost one game in the season, it’s a big one, an important one, but it happens.”

What strategy do you use in the second of four chess matches against the same opponent? Ultimately, with Miedema on the pitch, it doesn’t really matter.

“I was confident tonight that if she got chances, she’d score,” said Nick Cushing, who was brought back in ahead of this run of four games between the sides following the ­sacking of Gareth Taylor.

Cushing enjoyed celebrating with the fans on his first time back at the stadium since 2019. “She’s frustrated because she thinks she should have had a hat-trick.”

City had caused Chelsea plenty of problems in their League Cup final defeat against Bompastor’s side at Pride Park, edging possession stats and accruing 36 touches in the opposition’s box to Chelsea’s 15; in Manchester those figures were reversed, Chelsea dominating possession and amassing 24 touches to City’s 14 but it meant little.

If the odds were stacked in the unbeaten Chelsea’s favour before kick‑off, they were weighted ­further their way when the team news arrived. Cushing’s side were without the influential striker Khadija Shaw and Aoba Fujino, the scorer of City’s equaliser in their 2-1 defeat against Bompastor’s side in the cup final on Saturday. Meanwhile, the former Arsenal forward Miedema was named on the bench. That was “a bit of a gamble”, said Cushing.

For Chelsea, players returned, with Keira Walsh and Aggie Beever-Jones named in the starting XI.

City did well to contain Chelsea with their injury-hit squad – Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood long‑term absences. But this was a cagey encounter, Beever-Jones arguably the most dynamic player on the pitch in the first half, making a statement on the right and forming a c­ohesive partnership with the right‑back Lucy Bronze.

There will naturally be a drop in intensity from a final over 90 ­minutes to a two-legged tie, but Chelsea’s ­failure to capitalise on a depleted City will be a concern. Bompastor had promised the London team would “attack the game” but they struggled in the final third. Mayra Ramírez, who scored the opener against City on ­Saturday and in the WSL in November, threatened but was profligate in the opening 45 minutes.

View image in fullscreen Vivianne Miedema (second left) celebrates with her teammates after doubling Manchester City’s lead late on. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

With neither coach happy, there were changes at the break, Miedema returned to the pitch in place of the City youngster Lily Murphy and Wieke Kaptein replaced the USA plauyer Catarina Macario for the visiting team.

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The second half was more frene­tic, the opportunity to take a lead to Stamford Bridge next week the carrot. Kerolin, making her Champions League debut, sent in a cross that was narrowly missed by the head of Miedema in the first clear-cut chance after the break and suddenly the momentum was with the home team, the crowd roaring to life.

Moments later the ball was in the back of the net. Chelsea cleared a corner only as far as Mary Fowler who pinged the ball back into the box, Laia Aleixandri powered it off the crossbar and Miedema was on hand to turn in. Three minutes later Miedema was testing Hannah Hampton again, her shot kept out by the goalkeeper.

Quick Guide Barcelona outclass Wolfsburg with Pajor to fore Show Barcelona took a big step towards a third straight Women's Champions League title by beating Wolfsburg 4-1 away in the first leg of their quarter-final.

In the first meeting of the two teams since Barcelona beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in the 2023 Champions League final, Barça showed how the gap between the two teams has only grown. They dominated throughout and largely shut Wolfsburg's forwards out of the game as Ewa Pajor caused her old team plenty of problems.

Barcelona took the lead when Pajor, who joined Barcelona from Wolfsburg last year, pressured defender Caitlin Dijkstra into conceding an own goal as she tried to stop Pajor connecting with Aitana Bonmatí's cross in the 26th minute.

Two goals in the space of three minutes early in the second half took the game further away from Wolfsburg as Irene Paredes scored to finish off a short corner routine before Salma Paralluelo made it 3-0 soon after with a deflected shot.

Wolfsburg had some hope of a comeback when Janina Minge scored a header from a corner, but Barcelona's 18-year-old substitute Sydney Schertenleib responded with a curled shot that went in off the crossbar. Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.

The palpable tension in the crowd lifted with the goal from the Dutch forward, and the pace came out of the game a little as City stifled Chelsea’s attack over and over. As the clock ticked towards a first defeat under Bompastor, City still looked the more threatening side, every attack dangerous as Chelsea poured forward in search of the leveller.

With 10 minutes remaining and Chelsea ­throwing everything at City’s back line, ­Rytting Kaneryd clipped an effort off the crossbar and Ayaka Yamashita smothered the follow-up effort from Hamano in their most potent attack.

Miedema pounced again in the 89th minute to extend the lead and put Chelsea under real pressure going into Sunday’s WSL tie against City and the UWCL second leg next week, collecting Kerolin’s ball and rifling it into the bottom corner.

Chelsea looked a little shell shocked. How will Bompastor’s side cope following defeat? Their record to this point remains hugely ­impressive, but we will find out amid the most gruelling run of games. Can they turn around the tie? “It will be difficult, but nothing is impossible,” said Bompastor.

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