In any case, thank you for joining me. Hopefully the issues with booking will be resolved soon.
This is a report from Stamford Bridge by Sophie Downey.
I am sorry to say that it seems the TV commentators made a mistake. Holland was not initially booked, but rather James. I am still waiting for confirmation on this.
Emma Hayes praised her team’s talent and character, noting a positive change in the team dynamic this year. She expressed complete trust in all of her players, confident that they can handle any challenges thrown their way. Despite a busy week of constant travel, Hayes was impressed by their incredible performance.
“Lauren knows what I think of her and she is someone that is still a young player. Today she showed the best of herself in both sides of the game.
“The focus is on the team. I am thoroughly enjoying observing them currently.”
Matt Beard: “Desperately disappointing but Chelsea are a top side. We cannot gift the goals we did to Chelsea today. We’ve been well and truly punished today. We should not be conceding five goals.
Today, we disappointed both ourselves and our supporters. Chelsea demonstrated greater determination. We must not become immobilized as we did today, as it is not satisfactory.
Hayes is enjoying a victory lap and thoroughly enjoying herself.
Lauren James expressed her elation at scoring a hat-trick, especially at the Bridge. She also expressed her gratitude to Emma, who is leaving, for everything.
“She expressed her pride and her aspirations for the year. I’ve had a challenging week with the announcement of Hayes’ departure, and I simply wanted to do something for her.”
“Who knows what can happen when I am enjoying myself and playing with a smile?”
Instead of worrying about this minor double booking, I should shift my attention to appreciating Lauren James’ exceptional skills. She was effective in both offensive and defensive plays on the left side, utilizing her ability to cut inside and make runs on the outside, making her a constant threat on the field.
The reason behind this could be that the initial reservation was accidentally given to another person and the BBC made a mistake. Hmm…
I am having trouble understanding the situation with Ceri Holland. According to the BBC, she received a booking in the 64th minute and then again during injury time. Can you explain it to me?
Chelsea increased their lead at the top of the table with a dominant performance from Lauren James.
After reviewing, it appears that Holland was given a yellow card for disputing with the referee earlier. Shouldn’t she have been sent off? Was the TV broadcast incorrect?
At the 90th minute plus 5 minutes, Clark makes a tackle on Lawrence, resulting in a corner kick. Laws punches the ball away for another corner kick. Chelsea is currently engaging in timewasting tactics.
At the 92nd minute, Holland commits a foul on Lawrence and receives a booking. Was she not previously cautioned for arguing with the referee?
After 90 minutes of play, the referee has added an additional eight minutes. Will this give Liverpool a chance to make a comeback? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
After 88 minutes, Gilly Flaherty presents Lauren James with the player of the match award. I am surprised, absolutely surprised.
After 86 minutes, Roman Haug is substituted by Lawley for Liverpool.
After 84 minutes, Liverpool is still aggressively tackling, but the outcome of the game is already determined.
After 82 minutes, Fleming’s initial contribution is a poor backpass that Roman Haug takes advantage of. However, Musovic is quick to come out and disrupt the attack by the Liverpool player, who fails to make significant contact with the ball.
81 minutes have passed: Nusken and Cuthbert have been substituted for Fleming and Kirby. This marks Kirby’s 100th appearance in the WSL for Chelsea.
After 80 minutes, Hinds takes a powerful shot from 30 yards that narrowly misses the bar.
James initiates the play once more by sending a precise pass to Kaneryd, who sets it up perfectly for Nusken to easily score.
![Sjoeke Nusken of Chelsea scores in the 78th minute to make it 5-1.](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/09867f3c812c14983ba2908f4984a44eaaa47687/0_69_3310_1986/master/3310.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none)
After 76 minutes, Cuthbert kicks a ball upfield and accidentally hits the advertising boards.
Chelsea substitutions: Lawrence and Fishel enter the game, replacing Charles and Kerr.
After 74 minutes, Liverpool made substitutions, bringing on Kiernan and Parry for Van de Sanden and Koivisto respectively.
David Wall sent an email discussing the potential reasons for women’s teams struggling to fill larger stadiums. He suggests that one factor may be the limited number of matches played at these venues throughout the season. He believes that the goal should be to establish a regular match-going habit among supporters, similar to how male team supporters structure their social lives around attending games every two weeks. However, if 30,000 people attend a game at a large stadium like Stamford Bridge, but only 5,000 can attend the next game at Kingsmeadow, it becomes difficult to maintain this habit. Wall proposes that playing every game at the main stadium could potentially attract larger crowds and build attendance through word of mouth from committed and regular attendees.
In the 72 minutes of the game, James successfully moves down the left side and creates multiple issues for the opposing team. Her pass finds Ingle, who attempts a header towards the goal, but Bonner intervenes and deflects it for a corner kick.
Adam sent an email saying, “I hope you are doing well! Lauren James is a skilled football player, isn’t she? While this may not be the most insightful commentary about the match, she is having a great game.”
My offering is not as good as this.
After 70 minutes of play, Van de Sanden is knocked down on the left side. A free-kick is awarded and Haug receives the ball on the back post, but her header is saved by Musovic. Perisset then clears the ball off the line. However, Kearns mistakenly picks up the ball, leading to a penalty for her lack of awareness.
After 68 minutes, Chelsea may have a 4-1 lead, but the audience does not seem very enthusiastic about it. The atmosphere in the stands is rather dull.
In my opinion, Liverpool will likely complain about the lack of a penalty being awarded, but there was not much evidence to support it.
One thing they cannot criticize is the caliber of James, who appears to be a step ahead of everyone else on the field.
Kaneryd quickly makes a difference as a substitute. She moves towards the right, then changes direction and enters the penalty area. She then finds James, who is charging forward, and he shoots the ball into the net from eight yards away.
![Chelsea’s Lauren James steals in amongst a bunch of Liverpool players to score their fourth goal and complete her hat-trick](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4d0665fc365acf579407fe83fd9f1de45a0258d8/0_108_4306_2584/master/4306.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none)
![Lauren James celebrates after scoring Chelsea's fourth goal and complete her hat-trick.](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3abca3f377a1a09ac7c4e911c4d81b8710ee0506/0_207_3712_2227/master/3712.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none)
After 62 minutes, Musovic is unable to grab a cross from Van de Sanden, resulting in Chelsea conceding a corner to stop the threat. Kearns sends the ball towards the back post, but the goalkeeper successfully punches it away.
Van de Sanden sends a pass into the penalty area, but it is kicked out to the edge where Holland is positioned. After controlling the ball, she falls to the ground while being pressured by Cuthbert. It appears that Cuthbert may have given her a slight push, but it would not warrant a penalty. Despite this, Holland continues to protest and is shown a yellow card for her comments.
After 60 minutes, Laws successfully retrieves a pass near the edge of her six-yard box and skillfully maneuvers past a charging Chelsea forward. Laws shows impressive composure under pressure.
After increasing their lead, Chelsea will likely be confident in securing the victory. Liverpool will have to step up their game even further.
She has been the most outstanding player on the field and rightfully increases her score. Kerr passes the ball to James at the edge of the penalty area, she controls it with a few touches, and then shoots it past Laws into the corner of the goal. An exceptional finish.
![Lauren James of Chelsea scores her team’s third goal against Liverpool.](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/149be16999173a9c4a552368b5ba6950b677ee9f/0_0_5651_3822/master/5651.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none)
![Lauren James celebrates with teammates Sam Kerr and Niamh Charles after scoring Chelsea's third goal and her second of the game.](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d707bdf0328cc60314e284029f80b24d5881728c/0_214_4124_2474/master/4124.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none)
After 55 minutes, Carter had the opportunity to remove the ball from the field, but Holland relentlessly pursued her and ultimately gained possession for Liverpool by forcing a throw-in from the Chelsea defender. There was a noticeable increase in Liverpool’s intensity after the intermission. They are likely hoping that Chelsea will become fatigued after their midweek match against Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
In the first 53 minutes of the game, Kerr did not have much involvement. However, in the second half, she has already had a few chances to make an impact. The crowd becomes excited every time she gets possession of the ball.
![Sam Kerr of Chelsea controls the ball against Liverpool.](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/66e1bcaa5fb1a365234d513050d3cc4042796724/0_88_5072_3043/master/5072.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none)
After 51 minutes, Hinds attempts to find Kearns who is unmarked, but the pass is a bit too strong and goes past the Liverpool substitute, giving Chelsea the opportunity to clear it.
49 minutes have passed and there is chaos in the Liverpool penalty area. Kerr’s cross is accidentally lifted into the air, causing confusion for Laws who is unable to make a clear decision. Nuskens takes advantage and manages to redirect the ball, but Liverpool is able to defend and prevent Ingle from scoring.
After 47 minutes, Perisset makes a terrible pass across her own box, giving the ball directly to Van de Sanden. She takes a touch and shoots, but Musovic is there to block it.
Substitution for Liverpool during halftime: Kearns replaces Hobinger.
Here we are once again!
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The Blues have narrowly secured the lead, but Liverpool has been holding their ground. James and Van de Sanden are the top two threats on the field. This match is shaping up to be an exhilarating second half.
Liverpool had a stroke of luck when Hobinger, not paying attention, passes the ball back to Laws. However, Kerr is there and manages to obstruct the clearance, although it narrowly misses the goal. Liverpool did not exhibit their best performance in this play.
The game will continue for an additional four minutes.
After 42 minutes of play, Bonner pulled down Kerr in the centre circle to prevent her from advancing towards the goal. The referee correctly issued a yellow card for Bonner’s deliberate and unsportsmanlike foul. The ensuing free-kick was directed straight into Laws’ arms.
Source: theguardian.com