Lauren James leaves Man Utd's title hopes in tatters as Chelsea stay top
Manchester United's titles hopes suffered a major blow as they fell to a 3-1 loss to league leaders Chelsea courtesy of a second Stamford Bridge hat-trick from Lauren James.
Maintaining a pulse on any title charge hinged on upending the status quo that was Chelsea's home league form. The reigning league champions won their last 20 league matches on home soil, with United having never managed victory over the Blues.
The ominous array of statistics looked fated to withstand as James fired the hosts into an early lead before the five-minute mark. James, shortly after being booed by the visiting United fans as she took an early corner, deftly passed her shot with the outside of her right boot beyond Mary Earps in goal.
Proceedings were comfortable for the hosts from that point on, with Erin Cuthbert, formidable throughout the match, controlling the centre of the park and James showing her calibre playing in the pocket behind striker Mia Fishel. A second from James just after 20 minutes compounded the sense of suffering in store for United after the 22-year-old latched onto a lovely ball over the top from new signing Nathalie Björn and showed exquisite skill to smash her half-volley in from a tight angle.
The hosts very nearly made it three inside the first half hour after Melanie Leupolz lifted a tantalising cross to the back post but a foraying Niamh Charles failed to hit the target with her volley. The occasional slip-up from Chelsea's backline promised to be the only route back into the match for United until a scintillating run from Geyse opened Chelsea's defence. Lucia Garcia's shot was blocked but Hayley Ladd followed up the rebound to give United a lifeline going into the half.
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Chances for Ella Toone and Garcia represented a marked improvement in the second-half from Skinner's side, and it was Chelsea who found themselves under the cosh as Lawrence was called on to snatch away Toone's shot while Hampton rushed out to deny Ladd after a lapse in concentration from Chelsea's defence.
But the hosts showed their expertise in game management, even as United continued to build on their foothold though to no avail. James, quieter after the interval though no less dangerous, sent in a tempting cross to the back post towards Bjorn who was denied by the post.
And it was James who secured victory as she slotted home her third goal of the day and her 10th of the season with five minutes remaining.
Below are the talking points from Chelsea's 3-1 win over Manchester United.
1 Man Utd's title hopes in tatters
United boss Marc Skinner didn't play coy when confronting the significance of Sunday's clash. United needed a first-ever victory over Chelsea to keep their title hopes alive, and they needed to do so on the turf that Chelsea have made hallowed.
Instead, a 3-1 loss leaves Skinner's side seven points adrift of the top two and 10 points off league leaders Chelsea. The consequence is a massive challenge for United if a European spot is to be secured for a second season running.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's bid for an historic fifth successive Women's Super League title enjoyed a major boost as James' hat-trick secured a 21st league win on home soil. The victory means Chelsea maintain a crucial three-point gap to chasers Arsenal.
2 Chelsea relish quick start but leave door open
Chelsea hardly needed to break a sweat before tacking an advantage over United. The chances in the opening minutes were myriad, but it was James who slipped home the game's first goal after Johanna Kaneryd and Guro Reiten passed the ball around a chaotic United defence inside the penalty area.
The quick start allowed Hayes' side to slip into a comfortable rhythm, one which United struggled to show any attempt to offset or disrupt. The reigning league champions will be disappointed to not have created a greater deficit before the interval given their dominant and largely unopposed display.
Hayes' side enjoyed more than 60 per cent possession and registered nine shots at goal by half-time, yet only James could find the target with her two converted efforts.
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Lauren James scored the game's opening goal (2024 Chelsea FC)3 United handed lifeline after woeful first-half
That United's best chance in the opening half-hour arrived through a tentative but ultimately blazed and harmless effort from the edge of the box courtesy of Katie Zelem spoke volumes to the disjointed and anaemic display provided in the opening exchanges. An early goal would always threaten to exacerbate the pressure of the occasion but that Skinner's side could provide no riposte or facsimile of one until just before the interval will be deeply concerning for those hoping for a revitalised title charge.
Reduced mostly to observant statuary for 40 minutes, the paucity of United's display was salvaged by Geyse, who danced past her defender down the left before cutting the ball back to Garcia. The Spaniard's shot was blocked but Ladd was there to smash the ball into the roof of Hannah Hampton's net.
For United, the goal represented a lifeline following a 45-minute display in which the game promised to run away from them.
Hayley Ladd kept Manchester United within touching distance of Chelsea as she grabbed a goal back just before half-time (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)4 James' quality can make Kerr absence an afterthought
Seconds after the opening whistle, Chelsea's players could be spotted smiling gleefully. A corner had been won, and while nothing came of the initial set-piece, perhaps the home side could already feel something in the air, something bending in their direction. Or perhaps they knew that the travelling United fans booing James upon the stage she savours were only moments away from being consigned to a James-shaped thrashing.
How do you replace Sam Kerr? The answer is ostensibly to give James carte blanche to run rampant. The England starlet, playing in the pocket behind the front line, relished the freedom to get forward and make runs in behind while also dropping deep into midfield to stir the Blues' attack.
Lauren James scored her second with an exquisite finish on the half-volley (Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)Hayes spoke at length before the match of the need for James and striker Mia Fishel to hone a more dynamic relationship, and with Fishel functioning ahead of James in the No 9 and James playing off her the dynamic was potent. United's bizarre scheme of giving James ample space to operate aided in her impressive first-half performance.
James was less of a threat throughout the second-half as United attempted to claw back a point and she was pushed into the No 9 role. Yet, after a clever header from substitute Sjoeke Nüsken was headed down into the path of James, there was little surprise as the England international outpaced Maya Le Tissier and slotted her shot casually beyond Earps into the bottom far corner to mark her second hat-trick at Stamford Bridge.
That James is enjoying her most prolific season (10 goals in 10 league matches) is only good news for the Chelsea faithful as they attempt to navigate a Kerr-less world.
5 Too little too late for United's second-half fight
Whatever the message was delivered to United's dressing room at half-time looked to have done its job as a wholly disparate start to the second-half from the visitors very nearly obscured the first 45 minutes from memory.
Early chances arrived for both Toone and Garcia, with the former denied by a last-ditch challenge from centre-back Ashley Lawrence who snuffed the ball out of reach. Chelsea's defence struggled to compose itself under United's energetic pressure but one touch too many left United ruing their missed opportunities.
With 15 minutes remaining, Leah Galton looked through on goal but despite protestations from the United players, no penalty was given after the forward was nudged off the ball by Lawrence.
United's wastefulness in front of goal was in stark contrast to that of James and her ability to find the back of the net with one-touch precision consistently.
Skinner side's have endured a difficult season having exited the Champions League in the second round of qualifying. Now league success looks just out of reach as well.
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