That’s all from me. It’s been an encouraging first day of the season, but there was to be no feast of attacking football at Kingsmeadow. Cheers for being here. Bye!
The four other WSL games featured 11 goals, but barely a sniff in this one. Here’s the Chelsea coach, Emma Hayes:
I don’t think the league is going to be won or lost today. On chances created we should have finished. It looked like the first game of the season when teams are still finding their feet, but I’m pleased with the clean sheet. There’s a feeling among the team that we didn’t come out of second gear today. For me as a coach that’s something to work with. I’m not disappointed with the point, I’m pleased with the clean sheet and with the performance from the bench.
On the bench and its quality:
When I see the physicality Jess Carter brings to the team, when you’re talking about the next level in the Cl that’s what we’re looking to progress to. I think defensively we were very solid today. Give us time and we’ll improve. We’ll get better, week in week out. We’ve got to play seven games in 22 days and there’s going to be a lot of rotation. As long as the team adhere to the principles, I’m very encouraged by the way we performed today. It’s great to be back, the crowd were excellent and it was a very good game for everyone to tune into.
I think it was a great defensive display from both teams. It is fine margins. Ji had a fantastic chance second half and rather than cut in if she’d pulled the trigger we’d be talking about a different game. Still, a wonderful display from both sides.
The two captains have a quick post-match chat. First, Chelsea’s Karen Carney:
It’s not easy getting Man City in the first game but I think we had more than enough chances, lots of opportunities we didn’t take. They’re a fantastic team and made us work hard but we’ll be disappointed we didn’t finish it off.
I thought we were bright in spells. Same as for City, there’s things we need to work on. We just need to take our chances. I think we had more than enough to get the goal we needed. We’ll keep building and try to shift to another gear.
And City’s Steph Houghton:
For us to come here first game of the season, to not lose and not concede, we’ll be happy but at the same time we’ve got a lot to work on. If you look at leagues over the last few years teams that have conceded the least have given themselves a fair shot of winning the title.
Final score: Chelsea 0-0 Manchester City
90+5 mins: And that’s it! No goals today and very few chances, but a result that will probably satisfy both sides.
90+4 mins: Chelsea pass the ball around in midfield for an age before eventually hoisting it forwards, where Bonner hoists it straight back out again. Still, after Scott’s departure held the game up for a bit, play continues.
Updated
90+2 mins: Jill Scott can’t seem to decide whether her back is more painful than her leg. Either way, she’s off, and Wullaert is on.
90+1 mins: There will be about three minutes of stoppage time. Could anyway grab a winner? Cuthbert has a go, but drives a shot straight at Bardsley.
89 mins: There was speculation pre-match that this was a game in which both teams would be so preoccupied with not losing that neither would get round to winning, and it looks increasingly like this will be the case.
86 mins: More good covering from Bonner, who this time closes down Bachmann and makes a briefly dangerous situation appear comfortable.
84 mins: A fine attack from Chelsea ends with a snatched half-chance, and Spence’s shot being saved by Bardsley.
81 mins: Kirby is sent running down the right, but her low cross is a bit too far in front of the just-arrived Cuthbert, and Bonner slides in to block.
80 mins: Chelsea’s final change sees Ji come off to reflect upon her chance-fluffage, and Cuthbert come on.
76 mins: The best chance of the game, by far, and Ji fluffs it completely! Kirby’s pass finds her running into space inside the penalty area. She had time to control the ball before shooting, but then decides to delay her shot further and jink inside, and is crowded out.
Updated
75 mins: The best corner of the match by far, from City, falls to Parris at the far post but her shot is blocked.
74 mins: Another substitution for City: Lawley is off, and Beckie is on.
69 mins: Chelsea are having a period of dominance. Ji should probably shot from the edge of the area but she delayed and passed to Kirby, whose attempt to tee up Bachmann was deflected back to Spence. Her pass to Bachmann was way too strong and almost impossible to control.
68 mins: Chelsea bring on Spence for England and Kirby for Ingle. That’s a complete cull of Ingle-ish names.
67 mins: Andersson sees the challenge coming, pokes the ball away – straight to a City player, as it happens – and is brought down by Bonner, who is booked.
66 mins: Carner picks out Bachmann in the area, prodding the ball through Parris’s legs, but the shot towards the near post is well dealt with by Bardsley.
65 mins: Ji picks out Bachmann, bursting into the penalty area, but her first touch takes her too close to Houghton, who clears. That should have been a shooting chance, really.
63 mins: Chance for Chelsea! Carney cross from the right and Bachmann, running towards the near post, attempts an audacious right-foot backheel flick and doesn’t quite get it right.
62 mins: City take a corner short to Lawley, who runs into the area, keeps running, and finally produces a shot which deflects wide.
59 mins: City get a dangerous free kick on the left flank. They fill the penalty area with bodies, and after waiting a while to give everyone time to get into position Houghton shoots wildly over the bar.
56 mins: Chelsea’s first attack of the half ends with an England cross that looked dangerous as it arced into the area but was well defended.
54 mins: It’s a good cross, but Houghton gets under the ball and heads high and wide.
53 mins: Eriksson is booked, after a foul on Stanway, as City keep up the pressure.
51 mins: City have started the second half strongly, but their latest move ended with an overhit pass towards Lawley on the right, and a Chelsea throw-in.
47 mins: Eriksson is dispossessed in her own area after a defensive throw-in, and the ball rolls back to Stanway who clumps her shot over the bar.
46 mins: And they’re off!
The teams are back out, and there is a change to report: City’s want-away striker Nadia Nadim is coming on, and Hemp is staying off.
An email! “Hope you’re enjoying the match!” writes Adam Kline-Schoder. “I’d just like to say that I’m still emotionally recovering from Bachmann’s flick earlier on. Outrageous. Love it when professional footballers do things that I totally don’t expect.” It was fabulously inventive and skilful, setting a high bar that the game hasn’t quite met from that moment on. Still, there’s time.
Half time: Chelsea 0-0 Manchester City
45+3 mins: Carney gets down the left as team-mates stream into the penalty area, but her low cross is cleared and with that the referee calls an end to a bright but far from chance-laden first half.
45+1 mins: Into stoppage time, of which there’ll be about two minutes. It starts with Bachmann prompting another fairly standard save from Bardsley.
45 mins: Ji is found in the area by a cross from the right, but having failed to win the header Houghton recovers to prod the ball out of play. Another poor corner is easily cleared.
43 mins: A chance for City, or at least a chance for them to create a chance, but their low cross from the right rolls nowhere near either of their two players in the box.
40 mins: Ji runs 30 yards into City’s penalty area before finally being tackled, and when the ball runs to Carney she curls her shot well over the bar.
37 mins: That’s a truly terrible corner. The ball is basically passed slowly along the ground to Stanway, not far inside her own area, who belts clear.
36 mins: But there’s a diving save from Bardsley, who has to fling herself to her right to push Mjelde’s low drive past the post!
35 mins: Lawley has another shot easily saved by Lindahl. Neither goalkeeper has been particularly inconvenienced so far.
32 mins: Andersson hangs a cross into the area from the left, which Bardsley, despite the sun and stuff, claims calmly.
28 mins: City are hogging possession at the moment, though mostly in their own half.
25 mins: Nice effort! Parris gets the ball on the edge of the area, spins onto her left foot and swiftly sends a shot just wide of the near post.
Updated
23 mins: As I write that, England spears a left-foot shot high towards goal, but it’s straight at Bardsley, who catches at the second attempt.
22 mins: The sun is obviously an issue when the ball is played high towards City’s penalty area. Chelsea could do with testing Bardsley a couple of times before they lose this advantage at half-time.
19 mins: A couple of half-chances for City, first when a corner falls to Lawley but she controls the ball rather than volleying and is forced to turn back, and then when the ball is put back into the box Beattie heads over.
17 mins: There’s an interesting article in Creative Review (here) about the WSL rebrand and the creation of new logos for the WSL, the Women’s Championship and the Women’s National League. The WSL has “this pointed, pinnacle shape as it’s the forefront of the game”, apparently, plus “there’s also deliberately a bit of a superhero reference”.
14 mins: There have been no clear chances but Chelsea have certainly made the brighter start, looking strong in defence and also with a decent attacking plan, which is pretty much to bomb down the flanks, with the left so far favoured.
10 mins: Parris wins a header not far from halfway and Eriksson comes in late, after the ball has gone, and absolutely flattens her. She basically heads her, and then bodies her as well. It’s a poor, poor challenge, and Parris is currently receiving treatment as a result. The referee doesn’t seem minded to get her book out, strangely.
6 mins: England gets the ball just outside the area, jinks onto her right foot and, from a foot or two inside the box, shoots low across goal and wide.
5 mins: An awesome flick and spin from Bachmann just inside the City half takes her past two opponents. She runs to the edge of the area and passes to Carney on the right, but the move peters out from there.
3 mins: Beattie earns herself an early booking with a late trip on the edge of the centre circle.
2 mins: But City have the first shot of the match, Lawley with it, and Lindahl makes a straightforward stop.
1 min: Chelsea attack from the start, and have already sent in two low crosses from the left, both cut out by defenders.
1 min: Peeeeeeeep! City get the game under way.
Coins tossed, hands shaken, huddles huddled – kick-off is moments away.
The players are out! The sun is shining!
Nick Cushing, the City manager, has a chat to BT Sport:
I think after last season, it’s an opportunity to start the season well and to win a game. I think we’ve reflected on our finish to the season. We were proud of our start but have reflected on the finish and have made some slight changes. We have to replicate the start from last year and hopefully we can put some good performances in. I think it’s the most balanced squad we’ve had, we’re proud of the squad and we feel we’ve improved it this season. We have huge respect for Chelsea, they set the standard last year. We know they’re a great team and we respect them, but we know we’re a good team. Two top teams and hopefully it’ll be a really good game today.
Here are Rachel Brown-Finnis’s five things to ponder this season. Her positive assessment of Joe Montemurro’s Arsenal already looks on the money – they’re 4-0 up against Liverpool at half-time.
Updated
The teams!
The team sheets are in, and look like this:
Chelsea: Lindahl, Bright, Ingle, Carter, Carney, Ji, England, Eriksson, Mjelde, Andersson, Bachmann. Subs: Telford, Thorisdottir, Blundell, Spence, Cuthbert, Kirby, Engman.
Man City: Bardsley, Bonner, Houghton, Beattie, McManus, Walsh, Scott, Stanway, Lawley, Parris, Hemp. Subs: Beckie, Emslie, Roebuck, Weir, Nadim, Jans, Wullaert.
Here's our starting 11 for today's league opener! 💪 #CFCW pic.twitter.com/hfQC9kPnoK
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) September 9, 2018
TEAM NEWS!
— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen) September 9, 2018
Here's our @HaysWorldwide squad for our @FAWSL opener!
CITY XI | Bardsley, Bonner, Houghton (C), Beattie, McManus, Walsh, Scott, Stanway, Lawley, Parris, Hemp
SUBS | Beckie, Emslie, Roebuck, Weir, Nadim, Jans, Wullaert#mancity pic.twitter.com/gXWEA5PDal
Hello world!
So the WSL kicks off, and how, with a meeting between the two teams that have occupied first and second place in each of the last three seasons. “When you step on to the pitch against Chelsea it’s a bit like going to war,” says City’s Jill Scott. “Both sides have got that fight and desire and the rivalry is getting stronger every year.” This is professional-quality, international-standard fighting talk and extremely promising for those hoping for a match of high quality and intensity to spark the new season into incendiary life. I’ve got a load of pre-match reading for you, starting with some more from Scott:
