Match report:
Full time: Chelsea 4-0 Spurs
Peep peep! Chelsea continue their charge with another thumping victory. Melanie Leupolz scored twice, the first a screamer from 30 yards, with Pernille Harder and Sam Kerr getting the other goals. Spurs started very well but Chelsea were ultimately far too good. Thanks for your company, bye!
90+4 min Ji almost makes it five with a dipping long-range strike that is pushed wide by the flying Mikalsen. Good save.
90+1 min Four added minutes.
90 min Spence cracks a shot on the turn just over the bar. Chelsea could have easily have scored six or seven, yet it feels like they haven’t gone past second gear.
89 min This win will move Chelsea three points clear at the top of the WSL, at least for a couple of hours: Manchester United, who are second, play Everton at 2.30pm.
86 min Ji surges forward from midfield and pokes a low shot that takes a big deflection and dribbles just wide.
84 min Neville is okay to continue.
83 min There’s a break in play while Ashleigh Neville receives treatment. She hurt her right knee when trying to stop that shot from Reiten a cou0ple of minutes ago.
81 min Ingle’s long ball is headed on by England towards Reiten, who stretches to hit a shot that is well held by Mikalsen.
81 min The match is starting to peter out. It’s been a sobering day for Spurs, though they will take a bit of encouragement from an excellent first 25 minutes.
78 min And now another Spurs substitution. Lucy Quinn on, Gemma Davison off.
77 min Two more substitutions for Chelsea: Drew Spence and Sophie Ingle replaces Pernille Harder and Millie Bright.
76 min Ayane wins a corner during a rare Spurs attack. It’s swung to the far post and headed wide by Kennedy. That was a decent chance, although there wasn’t much pace on the ball.
72 min Reiten’s corner again finds its way to Harder near the penalty spot, this time on the bounce. Her first-time shot loops over Mikalsen and just wide of the near post.
70 min Reiten smashes a shot into the side netting from a tight angle.
67 min The game is over, has been for a while, but Chelsea are still hunting more goals.
GOAL! Chelsea 4-0 Spurs (Leupolz 63 pen)
Melanie Leupolz gets her second goal, calmly sending Mikalsen the wrong way.
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63 min: PENALTY TO CHELSEA! Beth England, who has just come on, hits a cross against the raised elbow of Kerys Harrop.
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62 min Two more substitutions for Chelsea: Beth England and Jessie Fleming replace Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby.
60 min Another chance for Chelsea, but Kerr fails to control Harder’s pass when through on goal. They are well on top now.
59 min Harder plays a give-and-go with Kirby, surges into the area but then shoots too close to Mikalsen.
57 min Another change for Spurs: Rosella Ayane replaces Jessica Naz up front.
54 min: Percival clears off the line! That would have been a spectacular goal. Reiten drove a flat corner towards the penalty spot, where Harder ran round the ball and belted a left-foot volley towards goal. Percival leapt to head it off the line.
52 min Harder appeals unsuccessfully for a penalty after being shoved by Neville. It was a needless challenge from Neville, which some referees would have penalised.
49 min Nothing much happening at the moment. Some of Chelsea’s substitutes are going through tactics folders before they come onto the field.
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46 min Peep peep! Spurs begin the second half.
Both teams have made half-time substitutions
Chelsea: Hannah Blundell for Maren Mjelde.
Spurs: Josie Green for Kit Graham
Half-time reading
Half time: Chelsea 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Peep peep! Chelsea are cruising towards another victory. Spurs started really well, with Ria Percival hitting the post, but once Chelsea got going they were clinical. Melanie Leupolz smashed them ahead from 30 yards, Pernille Harder scored the second and then made the third for Sam Kerr.
44 min “Hi Rob,” says Redmond Grimes. “Trying to watch both Chelsea teams at the same time here in Toronto. Don’t they bother to try and schedule the teams to play at different times?”
Apparently not. I doubt the Premier League gives a stuff.
42 min The scoreline is harsh on Spurs, who were probably the better team for the first 25 minutes. Chelsea, as is their wont, have been pretty ruthless.
GOAL! Chelsea 3-0 Spurs (Kerr 38)
It’s all over now. Ji’s long pass bounces through to Harder on the left. She moves into the area, looks up and picks out the unmarked Kerr, who plants an emphatic header past Mikalsen from six yards. That was a classy goal.
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37 min A half chance for Spurs. Addison cuts infield from the right, twists back inside Andersson and blasts over the bar from a tight angle.
33 min It’s all Chelsea now. Kirby angles a fine through pass to Kerr, whose iffy first touch takes her a bit too wide. That allows McManus to get back and block the eventual shot.
30 min Ji rifles a long-range shot wide of the far post.
29 min This is the problem when you play Chelsea. You can start well, have the better chances, but they always have the capacity to score out of nothing.
The keeper Mikalsen overhit a pass towards Zadorsky that was intercepted by Kirby. She stabbed it over Zadorsky, moved down the right and cut the ball back towards Harder at the near post. Her first-time shot took a biggish deflection off McManus and wrongfooted Mikalsen.
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GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Spurs (Harder 29)
Two in three minutes for Chelsea!
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GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Spurs (Leupolz 27)
Melanie Leupolz gives Chelsea the lead with a screamer! She was found in space by Ji, 30 yards from goal; she took the ball on the half turn, looked up and hit a booming shot that swerved dramatically into the far corner. Mikalsen might have done better - she was deceived by the flight and didn’t dive - but it was a helluva strike.
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24 min After good play by Ji, Harder’s shot on the turn is comfoirtably saved by Mikalsen. This is a good spell for Chelsea.
23 min Harder’s cross from the left is volleyed well wide by the off balance Reiten.
22 min: Chance for Kirby! That was lovely play from Chelsea. Kerr, on the right, played a fast pass into Reiten on the edge of the area. She flicked it beautifully behind the defence for Kirby, who hit the side netting from a tight angle
19 min Davison cuts infield from the left and plays a crisp pass to Graham on the edge of the area. She teases Bright, shifts the ball to the right and hits a good shot that is well held to her right by Berger.
17 min Graham, who is causing lots of problems in between the Chelsea defence and midfield, just overhits a through pass towards Addison. Spurs have been terrific so far.
14 min: Percival hits the post! This is a superb spell for Spurs. Graham turned on the edge of the area and laid the ball back to Percival, whose crisp drive was fingertipped onto the post by the diving Berger. That was an outstanding save. The loose ball eventually fell for Graham, who slapped it over the bar on the half-volley.
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13 min A double chance for Spurs! Chelsea didn’t clear a free-kick properly, and Kennedy’s shot onthe turn was blocked. The ball ran to Zadorsky, who had an age to line up a shot from the right side of the area. She struck it well but it just cleared the crossbar.
12 min Spurs have made a confident start, as you’d expect given their recent form, and their press has inconvenienced Chelsea on a couple of occasions.
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8 min Ji clips a long pass towards Kerr, who gets the wrong side of Zadorsky but shoots wide with her left foot. She took the shot early, from 20 yards, when she should probably have moved closer to goal.
7 min At the other end, Addison breaks down the right and slides an excellent low cross that zips across the face of goal.
6 min Sam Kerr misses the first big chance, slicing Reiten’s cross well wide from 10 yards. It bounced up a little awkwardly, but Kerr should still have done better.
4 min Nothing to report so far. Chelsea have had most of the possession so far.
1 min Peep peep! Chelsea, in blue, kick off from left to right. Spurs are in their dark green change strip.
The teams in (possible) formation
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Berger; Mjelde, Bright, Ericsson, Andersson; Leupolz, Ji; Kirby, Harder, Reiten; Kerr.
Substitutes: Telford, Blundell, Ingle, England, Fleming, Spence, Fox, Beever-Jones.
Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1) Mikalsen; Neville, McManus, Zadorsky, Harrop; Kennedy, Percival; Davison, Graham, Addison; Naz.
Substitutes: Green, Filbey, Dean, So-hyun, Quinn, Ayane, Martin, E Morgan.
Referee Sarah Garratt.
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A bit of news from elsewhere - Arsenal’s game at Aston Villa has been postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.
Team news
Spurs’ most signing signing Cho So-hyun is on the bench, but Abbie McManus and Aurora Mikalsen make their debuts.
Here's your Chelsea team to take on Spurs! 👊#CFCW pic.twitter.com/6HzKNsL4oD
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) January 31, 2021
Today’s team to face Chelsea… 💪#THWFC: Mikalsen, Neville, Zadorsky, Harrop, Davison, Percival, Addison, Graham, Naz, Kennedy C, McManus. #SpurHerOn ⚪ #COYS pic.twitter.com/eUKjJ3dpZQ
— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) January 31, 2021
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur from Kingsmeadow. It’s over a year since Chelsea last failed to win a home game in any competition, and over two since they last lost in the WSL, so it will be an appreciable shock should Spurs win today.
Chelsea, who are aiming to retain the WSL for the first time in their history, have been in ominous form and went top of the table for the first time this season when they beat Manchester United a fortnight ago. Their win at Aston Villa in the week set a new WSL record of 32 games without defeat.
Spurs have improved after a poor start to the season, winnings all three games under their new coach Rehanne Skinner, and signed the South Korea captain Cho So-hyun on loan this week. They sit comfortably in seventh place, and have some easier games to come after this. Anything they get today will be a bonus.
Kick off 12.30pm
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