Chelsea’s season-long winning streak at Kingsmeadow came to an unexpected halt as they were held to a dramatic 2-2 draw by West Ham on Sunday. In fact, Chelsea lost points for the first time all season during that match. It was the first time that they have drawn at home since February 2018. Despite a dominant first-half performance, Chelsea could not maintain their advantage, allowing West Ham to claw back into the game and cut Chelsea’s lead at the top of the table to six points.
One of the stars of that extraordinary West Ham comeback was future Hammers legend Shekiera Martinez. She scored a goal in both halves, leading her team to an impressive and much-needed point. At the same time, Arsenal took full advantage of their chance to steal a march on everyone else by hammering Crystal Palace 4-0 earlier in the day.
Chelsea’s Dominance and Missed Opportunities
Chelsea came out of the gates quickly, taking most of the possession and dictating the pace in the first half-hour. Their attacking prowess was on display from the start as they got chance after chance to find the back of the net. Chelsea had plenty of opportunities and did well to create them, but only put away two of their chances. This misfortune allowed West Ham an immediate opportunity to retaliate.
“We had a really dominant first half, especially the first 30 minutes. We created a lot of opportunities, we should have scored more than two goals in the first half. But we didn’t and after, we allowed West Ham to score from a throw-in, which isn’t good from us.” – Sonia Bompastor
Chelsea missed the chance to double their advantage and it proved a fatal mistake. West Ham took full advantage, Martinez netting in quick succession to level the tie.
West Ham’s Resilience and Tactical Brilliance
Although West Ham spent large parts of the game out of possession, they didn’t show any signs of fragility, staying in contention until the end. Their resilience undoubtedly proved instrumental in allowing them to remain in contention and countering Chelsea’s constant pressure with fast, effective attacks. Martinez’s goals opened the floodgates, starting the comeback and swinging momentum completely in their favor.
Chelsea had a busy schedule, Bompastor insisted that was no excuse for conceding points.
“The performance in the second half wasn’t good enough for us to get a better result. This block [of games] has been crazy. We’ve played so many games – eight games in 28 days, we’ve traveled a lot, played intense games – it’s always difficult with this quick turnaround to have all the energy.” – Sonia Bompastor
The draw at Kingsmeadow also reduced Chelsea’s lead at the top of the table to just six points. It creates a double-whammy of added pressure as they adjust to a compressed fixture list. Despite the deadlock, West Ham boss Rehanne Skinner remained positive and commended Chelsea’s display, acknowledging their quality and attacking potential.
“But it’s not an excuse. We have the depth and the quality in the squad to finish this block with a better result. But sometimes it happens when you’re not clinical enough.” – Sonia Bompastor
Implications for Chelsea’s Title Race
Chelsea need to pick themselves up and address their flaws. If they want to remain competitive in their own league, it’s past time for them to raise their level of play! With Arsenal hot on their heels, each point is vital in what is sure to be a fierce title race.
Chelsea will need to regroup and address their shortcomings if they are to maintain their position at the summit of the league. With Arsenal closing in, every point becomes crucial in what promises to be an intense title race.
Leave a Reply