Two Lionesses took centre stage at different ends of the pitch as the Blues beat the Seagulls in a chaotic clash on Sunday
Just five days after making her first Lionesses start, Aggie Beever-Jones’ great week continued on Sunday as she scored in Chelsea’s 4-2 win over Brighton. It was by no means as straight-forward as that scoreline might suggest, with the Seagulls creating plenty of big chances to put the reigning Women’s Super League champions under pressure, but some big saves from Hannah Hampton helped the hosts to a victory that keeps them five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table, even if the goalkeeper sometimes created her own problems.
It was an error-strewn game for both sides, with some loose possession from Chelsea midfielder Sjoeke Nusken presenting Nikita Parris and then Jelena Cankovic with huge opportunities early on, albeit ones neither could take. That set the tone for the entire afternoon, with three of the six goals at Kingsmeadow coming from mistakes on the ball. The first allowed Nusken herself to give the hosts the lead, as Cankovic, a former Blue, was guilty of a loose touch in a dangerous area, while Beever-Jones was able to tackle Brighton goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley in her own six-yard box to double that advantage.
It never looked like things would be smooth sailing for Chelsea though. Their opponents continued to create and finally got the better of Hampton just before the break, after Parris teed up Cankovic. When the Blues re-established that two-goal cushion shortly after half time, Lucy Bronze’s saved shot bouncing in off the unknowing Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Brighton hit back again, with Kiko Seike, denied brilliantly in the first half, punishing Hampton for a sloppy pass.
It was all set up for a dramatic finish then, and when Michelle Agyemang put Seike through late on, it looked like that finish would involve a Brighton equaliser and the end of Sonia Bompastor’s 100 per cent start to life as Chelsea boss. However, a combination of cool composure from Hampton and quite the opposite from the Japan star kept the Blues ahead, while Nusken managed to direct Catarina Macario’s stoppage time corner into the back of the net to make sure they maintained their unbeaten record.
GOAL rates Chelsea’s players from Kingsmeadow…