Chelsea Women 4-1 Everton Women
Chelsea have been drawn at home to Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals of the Women's FA Cup after knocking out Everton at Kingsmeadow.
The Blues went behind to the Toffees early on with a shock goal, scored directly from a corner at the Kingston Road end in the 17th minute by Sara Holmgaard.
But when Emma Watson tripped Ashley Lawrence at the other end, Cat Macario slotted the spot kick home. Mayra Ramirez made it 2-1 just before the break with a delicate, measured lob over the keeper.
A Maika Hamano tap-in and a Sandy Baltimore pen made it 4-1 at the final whistle. Everton return this Sunday to face the Blues in the WSL, with Chelsea hoping to retain their healthy seven-point lead at the top of the table.
The FA Cup quarter-final against the Eagles will be played on the weekend of 8 and 9 March.
A warm welcome back
"Oh, Maren Mjelde," was sung with gusto from the stands by the Chelsea faithful at the weekend as the former Blue, now a Toffee, started for Everton.
Her soulmate Fran Kirby (the injured Brighton forward who also shone for Chelsea) was watching from the stand, and waved enthusiastically to fans as her name was chanted too.
The sing-song brightened up a damp, grey afternoon, with a relatively thin crowd in attendance.
Midfield dynamo Erin Cuthbert summed up the mood after the match. "It's been a very good week for the club, but we're not getting too excited or too far ahead of ourselves. We're happy to be where we are and we're exactly where we should be right now."
Playing the Toffees in back-to-back fixtures on successive weekend is, Cuthbert admits, unusual. "They're probably going to change some things, and we'll have to adjust as well," she said. "Psychologically, we have the advantage after winning 4-1 and coming back so strongly."
Four games against City to come
But playing a team twice in a week is nothing compared to Chelsea Women's upcoming fixture list involving rivals Manchester City.
The Blues face City in the two-leg quarter-finals of the Champions League, with the first match played in Manchester on 19 March – four days after the sides meet in the League Cup final.
The second European game will be in London on 27 March – four days after the teams clash in the Women's Super League!
Four games between the same sides in the space of 12 days means both sets of players will know their opponents' strengths and weaknesses, and will have to conjure up new set-pieces and rehearse new free-kick routines to stay one step ahead.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
