Real Madrid Femenino 1-2 Chelsea Women
Leicester City Women 1-1 Chelsea Women
Chelsea Men 2-1 Brentford Men
Chelsea Women's final game of the season was a Christmas cracker in Spain as Sonia Bompastor's team came from a goal down to beat Real Madrid and finish top of their Champions League group.
After a lacklustre first half which saw former Man City favourite Caroline Weir put Madrid ahead after seven minutes, Bompastor shuffled the pack and put Catarina Macario on for striker Mayra Ramirez.
It had an instant effect. Suddenly the Blues were in command, pressing and harassing the Spanish side in a way they hadn't been before the break. In 10 hectic minutes, Macario scored two penalties to snatch the lead. Then Chelsea held on for victory. It means the Blues go into February's quarter-finals as one of the four top seeds.
"The players are exhausted," said Bompastor. "We have played four games in December, and it's too much for them mentally and physically. We don't have the energy anymore, but we tried to do our best."
Her squad can now relax for three weeks during the winter break; a chance to recharge, recover and regroup.
Stumble at Leicester
The win against Real Madrid followed a stumble at Leicester's King Power stadium, where Chelsea could only manage a 1-1 draw, denying Bompastor a 100% start in charge.
"We had 26 shots on goal, but only six on target," she grumbled. "I'm not happy with the result; we cannot drop points, especially in a game like this."
The fact that it was a full-strength Chelsea team who were pegged back by the courageous Foxes, languishing at the bottom of the table, was the big surprise.
Had Bompastor rested key players ahead of the trip to Spain, it would have been more easily understood. But this was the second below-par showing in barely a week, and it suggests some pre-Christmas complacency may have set in.
Missy Goodwin gave Leicester the lead on 20 minutes, and it took the Blues until the 77th minute to regain parity via Wieke Kaptein. However, Man City's unexpected stumble against Everton means Chelsea still sit on top of the tree for the festive break, with a very healthy six-point cushion ahead of City, and a vastly superior goal difference.
West London derby glory
Meanwhile, Chelsea's men kept the pressure on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League with a thrilling 2-1 win over neighbours Brentford on Sunday night, and go into the Christmas fixtures with a real spring in their step.
And talking of springing steps, the diminutive Marc Cucurella again showed remarkable aerial prowess by outleaping two lofty Bees defenders to head home Noni Madueke's sublime cross for the Blues' opener.
Having spurned several gilt-edged chances, Nico Jackson scored an excellent individual goal to secure a 2-0 lead, only for Bryan Mbeumo to notch a reply for Brentford to set up a nervy last few minutes. Mbeumo always seems to score at Stamford Bridge, and as the Bees ratcheted up the pressure in the dying moments there was an inevitability about it.
Rob Sanchez had a splendid night in the Chelsea goal, displaying cat-like agility as the team hung on for maximum points.
Cucurella got involved in a needless argy-bargy with Kevin Schade after the final whistle, earning a second yellow and therefore a red card as tempers flared.
Five league wins on the trot has left Enzo Maresca beaming. "I'm very pleased," he said. "The spirit they showed tonight was unbelievable." Next up, Everton away, then Fulham at the Bridge on Boxing Day before a jaunt out east to face Ipswich.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
