Manchester City and Chelsea meet again with the hosts out for a measure of revenge as they host the first leg of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final.
This is the second of four encounters between the two sides in a matter of 12 days, with the two legs falling either side of a WSL fixture and following quickly after Saturday’s League Cup final. The Derby decider saw Chelsea triumph at Pride Park to secure their first trophy under Sonia Bompastor, with a quadruple still a possibility with the Londoners streaking clear at the top of the table domestically.
Familiarity with their foes could prove useful for Manchester City, though, as they target a place in the semi-finals. While the replacing of Gareth Taylor with Nick Cushing did not provide immediate impact in the cup final, the interim boss led the side to four trophies in his first stint and will hope to throw the visitors of course ahead of next week’s second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Follow all of the latest from the Joie Stadium in our live blog below:
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea, 21 minutes
Aggie Beever-Jones does collect a forward pass, but the 21-year-old curls into the arms of Ayaka Yamashita, and had been offside, anyway.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea, 19 minutes
Good defending from Gracie Prior, shuttling across to prevent Mayra Ramirez from bringing a diagonal under her control.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea, 15 minutes
Chelsea are beginning to find their feet in this contest after a strong Manchester City start.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea, 13 minutes
Back-to-back corners. Sandy Baltimore swings the second straight into the firm grasp of Ayaka Yamashita.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea, 12 minutes
Better from the visitors. Aggie Beever-Jones shows good pace and footwork to dribble beyond a couple of would-be tacklers, and Lauren James draws a corner.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea, 11 minutes
Fowler takes with her right foot, this time, playing it short to Jess Park. Not the best routine – Park’s attempt to work a crossing angle succeeds only in taking her into a thicket of bodies, and Chelsea clear their lines.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea, 10 minutes
Bright then concedes a free kick 30 yards from goal. Mary Fowler faints to take with her right foot and then switches to her left, and a whipped delivery earns a corner.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea, 9 minutes
Another glimpse for Jill Roord. The rangy midfielder drives forward and sets her sights, releasing a powerful, low effort. A flick off the ankle of Millie Bright slows it, though, and Hannah Hampton gathers at the second attempt.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea, 7 minutes
It is a trifle peculiar seeing Keira Walsh in a Chelsea shirt up against her former club, and the midfielder hasn’t quite settled yet. Sandy Baltimore concedes a soft foul with Chelsea still short of fluency in these opening exchanges.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea, 5 minutes
Chelsea are just being a touch sloppy in their own final third. Again, they give the ball away in a dangerous area with Jill Roord once more pressing well, but the Dutch midfielder is offside as Mary Fowler attempts to thread her through.
Fowler has started centrally with Jess Park in behind, Kerolin out on the right and youngster Lily Murphy the left, it appears.