Emma Hayes praises squad after she shuffles Chelsea pack in win over Brighton
Emma Hayes was proud of her entire squad after making several changes in Chelsea's 3-1 win over Brighton to move second in the WSL.
Her Chelsea team responded impressively to their first big setback of the season, having lost the Conti Cup final to rivals Arsenal last Sunday, ending their chances of a quadruple. Guro Reiten's penalty, Jess Carter and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd gave them all three points and despite a late Brighton goal they never looked truly unsettled by the visitors.
And the Blues boss, who made eight changes to the side beaten by the Gunners, praised the players who came in.
"It was a great reaction from the team and that is what we needed," said Hayes. "We had to get over the disappointment really quickly.
"I'm delighted with the result but also with the players that came into the team. I say to players all the time, sometimes you have to work hard in the background without the reward - because not everyone gets picked every week.
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"For Kaneryd to get her first goal for the club I'm over the moon. For Cankovic to have a player of the match display after getting taken off on Sunday. I'm delighted and super proud of her. I'm proud of all of the players who came in, it is one of the reasons I love my team so much.
"Losing (to Arsenal) always feels disappointing when you are outperformed on every level, but what a great reaction and response from the team.
"We've got minutes in the bank and recovery time for players who need to recover for Sunday. One of the only ways you can show value around the squad is to pick every player."
Melanie Leupolz also returned to the Blues starting team, having only recently played her first minutes since giving birth towards the end of last year. And Hayes was delighted to see running the show in midfield.
"I thought she (Leupolz) was our best player Sunday," added Hayes. "Even though she came off the bench.
"She is amazing. To be in the place she is so quickly after giving birth. She has only started training with the team at the beginning of January.
"She is getting back to her best level. She's not there yet, but is going in the right direction."
Hayes is also looking forward to heavyweight clash with Man Utd in the WSL on Sunday. The win over Brighton means just one point and one place separates first and second, who meet in the early kick-off at Kingsmeadow.
"It's going to be packed here on Sunday," she added. "And we (Chelsea) love playing at Kingsmeadow. It is going to be two fabulous teams vying for the title and they are the days you want. I'm looking forward to it."
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