Thanks for reading, and your your emails and tweets. Here is Suzy Wrack’s match report from Kingsmeadow. Bye!
Post-match thoughts: A strange debut for Sam Kerr, who pretty much did everything right … except when presented with two fine chances. But her linkup play with Beth England for Chelsea’s equaliser will have given Emma Hayes no end of encouragement. But despite Kerr’s wonderful flick the moment of the match undoubtedly belonged to Guro Reiten for the spectacular lob that put the hosts in front. There aren’t many afternoons when the immaculately controlled volley from Fara Williams that gave Reading the lead would be merely the match’s third best goal, but there you go. But in truth, the writing was on the wall for Reading once they went down to 10: it was all Chelsea from that moment on, and even before they equalised the result was only going one way.
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Beth England speaks: “We know we needed to start the game strong and Reading would be tough. The sending off put the advantage in our hands but they gave us a good game. [Kerr] is a lovely girl, fitted in really well and we’ve had a good few link-ups in training and I think that showed today. It’s a shame she didn’t get a goal today but I’m excited by what she will bring to this club.”
Full-time: Chelsea 3-1 Reading
There we have it. A great first half gave way to a slightly tamer second once Chelsea had got themselves in front, but Reading can be proud of that performance and Sam Kerr, who missed two glorious chances, can console herself with a performance where she was central to all her side’s best attacks – and both their goals.
93 mins: England draws yet another good save from Laws – who’s been great since coming on – with a left-foot drive. The corner comes to nothing.
90 mins: Ji dances to the edge of the box and looks for England, but her lofted cross sails out for a goal-kick.
88 mins: England, still lively, drives down the left and puts in a low cross that is diverted for a corner. Napier comes on for her debut.
86 mins: Cuthbert looks hungry for a goal and has a crack from distance but doesn’t quite catch the ball cleanly, and it rolls wide.
84 mins: Reading see a rare opening when Eriksson’s loose pass is jumped on by Farrow, and from midway inside her own half she goes it alone, steaming past Bright and a couple of other defenders before, one-on-one with Berger, firing into the keeper’s legs. That was a terrific run – but she should have scored.
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80 mins: Farrow comes on for James for Reading, who look somewhat dead on their feet. It’s been a long old game for them.
77 mins: And that’s that’s as far as Kerr’s debut is concerned. She’s replaced by Blundell.
Goal! Chelsea 3-1 Reading (Cuthbert 75)
Andersson is unleashed down the left and volleys a cross on to the head of England, who draws a great save from LAws. But the ball spills out in front of and open goal, where the onrushing Cuthbert helps herself. Game over.
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73 mins: A nicely worked short corner from Anderson sees her played into the box by Cuthbert but her low cross can’t find a blue shirt. Both teams look like they’d settle for this game ending now.
70 mins: A great chance for England, who’s picked out by a delicious chipped cross from Kerr but can’t get enough power on the header. Saved and held by Laws.
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69 mins: Change for Reading: returning captain Natasha Harding comes on for a knackered Williams.
67 mins: You’d be surprised if Reading were able to come back into this now. Kerr surely won’t be happy with another golden chance spurned – but she has been central to her side’s two goals today.
Goal! Chelsea 2-1 Reading (Reiten 64)
A sensational goal! First Kerr is slid through for a chance resembling her early one, which Laws stands up well to and saves – but the ball balloons out to the edge of the box where Reiten connects with a glorious side-foot volley that sails over the stranded keeper and into the net. Wonderful.
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64 mins: Poor Fara Williams is feeding of scraps – or whatever’s less than scraps – up front for Reading, chasing hopeful punt after hopeful punt.
61 mins: Laws is on her feet, albeit shaken, and will carry on. The hosts make a change, with Cuthbert replacing Ingle.
57 mins: The resulting corner lead to a ludicrous goalmouth scramble, which ends – somehow – with no Chelsea goal and Laws down in a crumpled heap having clawed a goalbound header heroically to safety. She’ll have to play on, you’d think, as she’s the sub keeper.
56 mins: Ji picks out Reiten, who has made a smart run and her chipped lay-off finds Spence on the edge of the box, but again a Reading body is thrown in the way of the shot.
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55 mins: Reiten wriggles away from two defenders and into the box to pull back for Anderson, but her shot is tame and easily blocked.
52 mins: Normal service resumes, with Reading camped largely inside their own half and Chelsea given the task of breaking them down.
49 mins: And Allen, clearly still with some anger to let off, quickly floors Ingle with a cynical foul. Time for the Reading midfielder to calm it.
48 mins: Some argy-bargy between Allen and Spence after the Chelsea player follows through with a heavy tackle and is duly rewarded with a mouthful of invective from her wounded opponent.
45 mins: Reading get us going again, with their dismissed keeper Grace Moloney watching on from the dugout, sipping a warm cup of coffee. The good life.
So all in all a pretty great 45 minutes of football, kicked off in gloriously unlikely fashion with Kerr blazing over with the goal at her mercy. But she’s looked dangerous since and has at least partly redeemed herself with a splendid assist. She’ll be wanting a goal, though, and with Chelsea’s dominance since the red card having been comprehensive, this game is a good a chance as any. I’m going to stick my neck out here: Chelsea will win this.
Half-time: Chelsea 1-1 Reading
And that’s that for the time being. A most enjoyable half, with goals, sendings-off and fluffed sitters. What more do you want?
48 mins: Reading win a (soft) free-kick midway inside Chelsea’s half and Williams delivers a teasing cross which is met on the volley by a stretching Eikeland, but the ball flashes just wide. Chance.
43 mins: Reading can’t really get out of their own half, and all Chelsea’s best attacks are coming down their lively left flank. Reiten wins the latest corner, half-cleared to England who scuffs wide.
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Goal! Chelsea 1-1 Reading (England 40)
Another terrific goal, and it’s wonderful link-up play from Chelsea’s front two, Kerr coming short to latch on to a long ball and backheeling devilishly to the onrushing England, who rounds the keeper and slots home.
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38 mins: A rare foray into opposition territory for Reading, who look to release Eikeland on the left wing but the pass from James is too heavy and forces her teammate unthreateningly wide.
35 mins: Reading continue to cling on. Reiten lofts a cross into the box and Kerr, loitering at the back post, meets it with a low angled volley which is again well saved.
32 mins: It’s Laws to the rescue as Kerr drives to the edge of the box and with the defence opening up in front of her she cannily declines to shoot. Instead she lays the ball right to England, who strikes low and hard toward the far corner, but the keeper gets down well to parry away.
31 mins: It feels like a goal’s coming here – Ji rifles narrowly wide from around the penalty spot. Chelsea are turning the screw with intent.
28 mins: Howard blocks from England again – this time a header – after another intricate attack up Chelsea’s left. Andersson with the delivery.
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25 mins: More smart play from Chelsea, this time down the left, culminates with England walloping a low shot goalwards, but Howard gets across to block. Corner.
22 mins: A mammoth tasks looms, then, for 10-woman Reading, who have a narrow lead to cling on to against perhaps the world’s best striker. Strap in. It’s worth taking a minute to praise Williams’ goal again, too, which really was a beautifully controlled finish and exactly the sort of chance it’s easy to thrash wildly at.
20 mins: Ji fires the free-kick over the crossbar of Laws, who came on for Chaplen.
Red card for Moloney!
And immediately the visitors have their keeper sent off! Again it’s Kerr at the heart of the danger: the striker saw some dilly-dallying by centre-back Potter – who was waiting for her keeper to claim a loose pass. But she came too late, Kerr leapt on it, and Moloney could only react in time to completely wipe out the striker – handling outside the box too for her troubles. A double-red card, really.
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Goal! Chelsea 0-1 Reading (Williams 15)
15 mins: Chelsea’s insistence on playing it out from the back gets them in trouble, as Reading pounce on a wayward pass and after a bit of penalty-box pinball, Chaplen chests down a superb lay-off that Williams guides expertly into the corner from the edge of the box. Lovely strike.
13 mins: Chelsea threaten to counter dangerously after clearing a Reading corner but the attack loses momentum when England takes a heavy touch having been picked out by Kerr.
11 mins: Kerr gets on her bike again, haring in behind the Reading defence and picked out – almost – by Ingle’s raking long pass. But Howard and Moloney are both alert to the danger and snaffle the ball in tandem. Good defending.
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9 mins: Chaplen fires away a speculative early sighter, well struck but easily gathered by Berger.
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6 mins: As ever, Ji is central to everything Chelsea do well. She orchestrates some nice keep-ball with her centre-backs before Reading’s hard-chasing forward decides she’s had enough and floors the Korean.
4 mins: Eikeland makes some inroad into the Chelsea half but can’t find a cross. Kerr will be rueing that miss – but it was a great run that sprung the offside trap expertly. Her getting such a clearcut chance so early bodes well, right…?
2 mins: Kerr misses a sitter! A golden opportunity for the star striker to make the perfect start as she’s played clean through with the goal gaping. She takes her time, steadies herself, opens up her body … and blazes her strike miles over. A shocker.
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And we're off
Chelsea get the ball rolling and possession changes hands a few times before the hosts keep the ball with a steadier hand.
There’s a decent crowd at Kingsmeadow, where the teams emerge from the tunnel. All eyes are on Sam Kerr, who is de-snooded after her warm-up. Handshakes are exchanged and kick-off is imminent.
Absolute tekkers going on in the warm-up! 🔥 #CFCW pic.twitter.com/eCgsaWpHhM
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) January 5, 2020
And lastly, our very own Suzanne Wrack on how Chelsea’s star signing could signal a global power-shift in women’s football:
… and here’s Eni Aluko on how the WSL could be set for its own Messi-Ronaldo era:
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Some pre-match reading to get you in the mood. First, our news report ahead of Kerr’s debut:
Team news ahoy!
Kerr starts.
Chelsea: Berger, Bright, Ingle, England, Ji, Reiten, Eriksson, Mjelde, Kerr, Spence, Andersson. Subs: Orman, Blundell, Carter, Cooper, Cuthbert, Napier, Murphy
Reading: Moloney, Pacheco, Williams, James, Allen, Eikeland, Moore, Chaplen, Potter, Rowe, Howard. Subs: Laws, Bartrip, Harding, Farrow, Utland, Bennink, Skeels
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Preamble
The most anticipated debut in WSL history? Quite possibly. Aussie superstar Sam Kerr has landed in England following her headline-grabbing move to Chelsea and is set to make her Blues bow at Kingsmeadow today.
Kerr is the record scorer in both American NSWL and the Australian W-League – not half bad for a 26-year-old – and her move to England has been spoken of as a landmark moment not just for Chelsea (who have made her the best-paid female player in English football history) but for the WSL in general. But can she do it on a cold Sunday in Kingston? We’ll soon find out.
Her teammates, meanwhile, have gone almost a month without a win – during which time they were held 1-1 at home by today’s visitors – and have slipped to third in the league. Reading are undefeated since October and a win today would give real encouragement that they could break the glass ceiling separating the top three from everyone else.
Kick-off 12:30 GMT
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