Manchester United’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea at Kingsmeadow.
Guro Reiten converted from the penalty spot in the first half to ensure Chelsea clinched all three points.
Marc Skinner started Phallon Tullis-Joyve with a defensive four of Jayde Riviere, Maya Le Tissier, Millie Turner and Gabrielle George ahead of her.
Dominique Jannsen, Simi Awujo and Grace Clinton formed the midfield trio.
Rachel Williams led the attack, with Celin Bizet and Geyse Ferreira flanking her on either side.
Chelsea started the brighter of the two sides, invading United’s box as they looked to get an early lead.
Just two minutes in, Lucy Bronze gave the ball away to Jannsen, who played it to Williams. The United striker found George, who put in a cross but Hannah Hampton gathered it before the opportunity could materialise.
At the other end, Reiten tried to deliver a low cross but Riviere produced a fantastic block to prevent the ball from going into the danger area. It appeared that United had conceded a corner but the referee awarded a goal-kick.
Chelsea kept the chances coming. On this occasion, Reiten played the ball into the path of Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, who made an attempt to find the back of the net but Chelsea talisman Mayra Ramirez got in the way. United found it hard to contain Sandy Baltimore, who found herself with plenty of space down the left.
There was a huge chance for the Blues when a corner into the box fell to Sjoeke Nusken. The Chelsea midfielder fired a ferocious shot but luckily for United, she couldn’t hit the target. Moments later, Baltimore played in a cross to Kaneryd but her effort didn’t require Tullis-Joyce to swing into action.
15 minutes in, Ramirez found herself through on goal. Tullis-Joyce came rushing out of her goal to try and thwart her but in the process, caught the foot of the Chelsea forward. Ramirez inevitably went down and a penalty was awarded.
Reiten stepped up to take and made no mistake from the spot-kick despite Tullis-Joyce diving the right way.
United seemingly settled after Chelsea took the lead and were more composed in possession. The Reds also demonstrated more willingness to get out of their defensive shapes to try and restore parity. The ball was put into the danger area and Williams rose to challenge for it. Hampton did the same in what looked like a 50/50 challenge but the referee gave Chelsea the free-kick and booked Williams.
Skinner’s side stepped up the ante. Geyse won the ball down the left and let Williams take over possession. Williams crossed the ball into Bizet but the United winger couldn’t connect with it.
United continued applying the pressure as half-time approached. Clinton’s deflected pass found Geyse, who attempted a bold effort at goal. However, Millie Bright slid in before she could shoot. United failed to make the ensuing corner routine count.
Turner and Le Tissier also came up with some inspired moments of defending that prevented Chelsea from doubling their lead before the two teams headed down the tunnel.
United began the second half with energy and purpose. Geyse had an early opportunity, but her effort resulted in a goal-kick. Shortly after, a well-placed free-kick was delivered into the box, yet the cluster of United players failed to direct it on target.
Geyse was in the thick of the action once more, unleashing a strike from outside the box that took a deflection en route to Hampton’s goal. The shot initially seemed to be heading wide but unexpectedly curved toward the top corner. Hampton reacted swiftly, pulling off a fingertip save to deny what would have been a stunning goal.
United embarked on another attack again, as Geyse carried the ball forward and gave it to Bizet on the edge of the area. The Norwegian failed to bring it under her spell and in a bid to win possession back, committed a foul.
Ramirez almost got on the score sheet as she went for goal from a very tight angle but she was thwarted by the brilliant Tullis-Joyce.
After an hour of play, Skinner looked to his bench and brought on Melivne Malard and Leah Galton for Williams and Bizet respectively.
Chelsea had a promising opportunity when Kaneryd found herself with plenty of space just outside the box. Linking up with Ramírez, she set up a two-on-one situation against Le Tissier but opted to go at it alone. The United captain reacted swiftly, closing down the angle and blocking the shot effectively.
United turned down the pressure slightly and Chelsea took advantage, as they put in a flurry of crosses and corners. However, credit to United, they were defensively solid.
With around 10 minutes of regular time left on the clock, Ramirez hit the ground inside the box, claiming she was caught in the face by Le Tissier but the referee waved play on, seemingly deeming that the contract was not strong enough to warrant a penalty
United had another close call when a ball was played to Kaneryd on the right, exploiting the space left open with George caught out of position. The winger delivered a low cross to Ramírez in the center of the box, but the striker’s effort lacked precision, firing straight at Tullis-Joyce, who made a comfortable save.
In the dying embers of proceedings, Skinner took off Awujo and brought on Hayley Ladd.
As the game entered added time, Geyse drilled a ball into the box, finding Malard, who displayed excellent control to turn, adjust her footing, and unleash a powerful shot. Hampton could only watch as the effort smashed against the crossbar.
There was a free-kick and a few corners for United – one of which saw Tullis-Joyce go up front to provide an extra body – but Chelsea’s defence proved too resilient to breach.
The result has left United in fifth position, with 15 points gained from a possible 24. United’s next assignment is against Liverpool, after the international break.
Featured image James Fearn via Getty Images
Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
