Anyway ... thanks for joining me.
Here is Tumaini Carayol’s report from Wembley.
What can Gareth Taylor learn from his first game in change? His team need to play at a higher tempo and he needs to utilise his wide players more, with Kelly certainly the most dangerous City player on offer today.
Get yourself tucked into some team guides ...
An understated trophy ceremony, as the players just collect their own medals off a table, before Eriksson does the game with the shield. Not to mention there is no one there. On the upside, the players are enjoying the celebrations.
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Bright: “Obviously, scoring at Wembley is unbelievable.
“I think we were confident coming into the game. The game was pretty tense.”
A lot of discussion about Scott’s sending off. She did not get the ball for the second one, how can this be controversial? She caught the player late. This is delightful nonsense.
Sam Kerr will want to forget about this game as soon as possible, having missed six or seven great chances. On the upside, her movement was decent.
Full-time!
Chelsea deserve the victory and really should have won it by more but hey ho. They will just be pleased to start the season with such a fine performance and win.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City (Cuthbert, 90+2 mins)
Start the car! Mjelde sends in a fine ball, which Houghton gets to first but it goes straight to Cuthbert who slots her shot into the top corner at the first time of asking.
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90 mins: City get a corner, which Kelly sends into the box but no one in a light blue shirt bothers to attack it. Kelly does, however, get another chance to put into the box and wins another corner, which is belatedly cleared.
Four minutes added on.
88 mins: Chelsea: pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass. Nothing to see here, as the clock ticks down.
86 mins: City are just awaiting the whistle now ...
84 mins: City are tired and Chelsea are just knocking it around for fun. Hayes’ team are utterly dominant now, they really should be out of sight by now. They have missed 10 good chances.
82 mins: Houghton carries on after treatment which seems like a waste of time in this fixture, but what do I know?
80 mins: Cuthbert almost finds England with a pass across the box but Houghton reads it and sends it wide. Roebuck comes out to clear a corner but punches her captain in the back of the head as well as the ball.
78 mins: England is the latest to miss a good chance, as she accepts a pass from Ji but the England is leaning back and lofts the ball well over from 16 yards.
HOT DAWG!
What a strike from @Mdawg1bright 💥 @ChelseaFCW | #CommunityShield pic.twitter.com/xkHEpNwWkR
— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) August 29, 2020
76 mins: Chelsea are enjoying a lot of the possession and a second here would really things off. It almost comes as Reiten sends in a low cross for England to attack but Bonner beats her to it.
74 mins: Ji has enjoyed a good couple of chances in the last few minutes. On this occasion, England slips her in but Ji gets the ball stuck under her feet and hits a shot straight at Roebuck.
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72 mins: Houghton is down holding her knee. City could do with not losing her even if this game is lost for City the way things are going.
Kerr is withdrawn, which is the kindest thing to do.
70 mins: Chelsea are on top now and could have had a second after City fail to clear a cross and the ball falls to Leupolz inside the area but she lashes it over.
68 mins: Could Roebuck have done more? I think he reacted a touch late but it was one helluva hit.
Mewis comes on for City.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City (Bright, 66)
WHAT A HIT! Bright picks up the ball 30 yards from goal, gets it out of her feet and absolutely wallops it over Roebuck with some dip and swerve.
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64 mins: City are a player light now, how will they adapt? Chelsea must be even more confident of winning this.
62 mins: RED CARD! Scott slams into the back of Ji late and receives a second yellow, forcing her off. The referee has given Scott her marching orders.
61 mins: Scott sends Stanway through down the middle but the forward hits the shot at the first time of asking on the stretch and drags it wide.
Down the other end, I think we can safely confirm that Kerr has the yips. She goes beyond the City centre-backs, gets to the ball, before opening up her body to slot a shot into the corner but she sends it a mile wide. Call it a day, Sam.
59 mins: Kelly looks like the only City player with any degree of intent about her. She earns a free-kick after bamboozling Leupolz with some quick feet. Sadly, Kelly sends the subsequent set-piece straight into the arms of the goalkeeper.
57 mins: City have barely had kick in the second half. Maybe we can expect a raft of changes now.
55 mins: Kerr makes a lovely run to get beyond the City defence but she slows down with the ball at her feet, allowing Houghton to get back into position and in the end the cross is pathetic.
53 mins: Is it time to accept Kerr will not score in this game and bring on England? Chelsea cannot afford this number of misses and still expect to win.
51 mins: Kerr gets the ball in the box again but Stokes reacts and puts the striker off with some well-timed physicality, forcing Kerr to mishit her shot.
49 mins: SAM KERR MISSING AGAIN! Kirby latches onto a superb first-time ball from Ingle, she gets to the edge of the box and then puts it on a plate for an unmarked Kerr to tap home from six yards but the Australian instead fluffs her lines and the ball trickles wide. That is her fifth miss of the match.
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47 mins: City are passing it out of the back and Chelsea are pressing high. Classic.
Second half
Here we go again!
Kits ...
Half-time
An intriguing game which has seen quality aspects across the pitch until the final third where most attacks have fallen down. Chelsea have had the best chances but City have come closest to scoring. Funny old game.
45 mins: Two minutes added on.
44 mins: Some truly dreadful touches in a matter of seconds. Houghton overruns the ball and is tackled by Kirby, with a pass then going to Ji, granting the chance to start a counter attack but her touch is awful woeful, allowing Bonner to get across to tackle the Chelsea forward and the attack ultimately breaks down.
42 mins: It is Kirby’s turn to send in a cross from the right, it goes over Bonner and Kerr is surprised by the ball reaching her, so can only glance it on. Not Kerr’s day so far.
40 mins: Kirby gets into the box, then slips the ball to the overlapping Mjelde whose fierce cross is blocked by Roebuck and then cleared by the City defence.
38 mins: Kerr has had three fantastic chances thus far but is yet to trouble Roebuck in the City goal. Kerr is certainly looking a touch rusty at the moment.
36 mins: CRASH! BANG! WALLOP! Stanway latches onto a loose ball, drives towards the area and lets fly, only to see Berger palm the ball out to an onrushing Kelly who thrashes a shot straight back at goal, only to see the ball bounce back off the base of the post.
Down the other end, Kerr goes through once more, opens up her body to shoot but sends the ball well wide. The Australian’s finishing has been poor today.
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34 mins: Ji lines up the subsequent free-kick but she hits a Chelsea player on the end of the wall, which inadvertently loops it into the direction of an unmarked Kerr who sends a header well wide from eight yards out. The striker has to do better in those situations.
32 mins: Ji is taken down 20 yards from goal by Scott just as she is about to fire a shot away. The City midfielder claims she won the ball but the referee is having none of it and dishes out a card.
30 mins: WHAT A SHAME! Kelly runs through three Chelsea defenders thanks to some fine dribbling and skill but she lays it off to Beckie to tap in, only to see the offside flag up. It would have been one of the great assists.
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28 mins: Another pass is sent through for Kerr to chase but Roebuck reads it and comes off the line to clear before the Australian can get to it.
26 mins: Walsh slips the ball into Hemp, she cuts inside but is stopped in her tracks by a hamstring injury by the looks of it. That is her race run, as there is no point in taking a risk with a muscle injury at this stage of the season. Beckie replaces her.
24 mins: Kelly swings a free-kick from the right to the back post, it goes over pretty much everyone until Houghton slides in to send the ball out for a goal-kick.
22 mins: Stanway controls a bouncing ball on the edge of the box and fires off a shot to Berger’s right but she reads it, allowing the goalkeeper to get two hands on the ball.
“Hope you’re well and didn’t get too bored during the roughly 2.37 seconds since the last competitive football match,” says Adam. “Given the early possession stats this match is interestingly poised, and I think I’ve seen freshly-squeezed orange juice machines do less pressing than Chelsea...but can they sustain it? Wonderful to see Kirby back, and being fully physically and mentally fit. Here’s to a great match and an equally great WSL season!”
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20 mins: Chelsea want to get the ball into Kerr as quickly as possible and rightly so, but they need a little more composure with the pass, as they have fizzed a couple in that Messi would not be able to control.
18 mins: Chelsea just look sharper with the ball at their feet, whereas City are hoping to bore the Blues to death with possession. The slow possession won’t even tire out the Chelsea team.
16 mins: City are completely dominating possession but Chelsea look permanently dangerous on the break. Chelsea are putting City under pressure in midfield as they look to nick the ball and instigate a counter-attack.
14 mins: Weir swings in a corner from the right, which is punched clear by Berger, allowing Chelsea to break at speed. The ball reaches Ji, who takes it into the area after nutmegging Walsh but her cross is cleared by Morgan.
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12 mins: Chelsea launch a break, accelerated by a great flick from Kirby into Ji, who plays it back to her teammate, allowing her to win a foul from Houghton.
10 mins: City seem to have realised that they need to play quicker, I understand they haven’t had a competitive game in months but they can’t allow themselves to grow into this game as Chelsea are playing with some real intent when they get the ball.
8 mins: Scott is back on after receiving treatment, which is good to see.
6 mins: It is commendable that City want to build up from the back but they just look so slow in possession. Houghton tries to add a bit of impetus but without success. Chelsea look the better team at the moment.
Jill Scott falls awkwardly on the byline when battling a Chelsea defender, the City midfielder clutches her neck and it still takes an age for the medical staff to react and get to her.
4 mins: Kerr should give Chelsea the lead after being slipped through by Ji but the Australian sends the ball wide with the outside of her right boot when one-on-one with Roebuck.
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2 mins: City win a corner within the first 15 seconds thanks to Hemp down the left. Kelly swings it in but Berger reads it and holds on.
City are quite happy to pass it around at the back for as long as possible without much intent to move forward.
Kick-off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Gareth Taylor looks like he has nicked an outfit from Pep Guardiola in an attempt to look cool. I remember him play for City and he was pretty mediocre. Hopefully he is a better manager than striker.
An incredibly strange sight to see Wembley completely empty. The players are coming out of a tunnel which looks like it has a smoke machine in it, but that could just be the lights.
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The man in charge.
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Getting warm.
Limbering up! 💪
— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen) August 29, 2020
🔵 #ManCity | https://t.co/HkTzfLv0HJ pic.twitter.com/YEZsN6II7Z
Football never stops!
The new arrivals of Sam Mewis, Rose Lavelle and Chloe Kelly are set to make a big impact at Manchester City, according to Caroline Weir.
Former Everton player Kelly is the only one who starts for Gareth Taylor’s side today.
“To have players of that calibre come in is only a positive thing. The experience Sam and Rose are going to be bringing in, having won a World Cup and been so successful, is hugely important. It’s going to drive us on to the next level,” Weir said.
“Their strong mindset and winning mentality is what we need to reach where we want to go. It’s great to have players like that in the changing room and on the pitch.”
Some pre-match reading ...
Starting lineups
Chelsea: Berger, Mjelde, Bright, Eriksson, Andersson, Ingle, Reiten, Leupolz, Ji, Kerr, Kirby
Subs: Telford, Thorisdottir, Blundell, Carter, England, Fleming, Charles, Cuthbert, Spence
Manchester City: Roebuck, Stokes, Bonner, Houghton, Scott, Kelly, Stanway, Morgan, Hemp, Weir, Walsh.
Subs: Bardsley, Benameur-Taieb, Campbell, Coombs, Beckie, Park, White, Mewis
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Preamble
Good morning!
The football season is upon just a few hours after the last one finished. For the women’s game, however, this is a huge day as there has been no competitive matches since before lockdown began. Additionally, it is the first time there has been a Women’s Community Shield in 12 years, so there is plenty to celebrate.
There is also the potential for plenty of new signings to be on show. Chelsea have acquired Melanie Leupolz, Silvana Flores, Niamh Charles and Jessie Fleming, who could all be in line for debuts. Meanwhile, Manchester City have Sam Mewis and Chloe Kelly at their disposal but USA international Rose Lavelle is not ready to take part.
Unfortunately, there will be no fans inside the stadium for this prestige fixture but that should not take away from how momentous an occasion this is for the women’s game. Prior to lockdown women’s football had incredible momentum and was growing at a rapid rate, so hopefully today will reignite that journey. A cracking match at Wembley would help that!
Kick-off: 12.30pm BST.
