Chelsea Women produced a remarkable comeback on Thursday, overturning a two-goal first leg deficit to defeat Manchester City 3-0 at home. This emphatic victory secured their place in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals, where they will face the reigning champions, Barcelona.
The English champions wasted no time in their quest for revenge, having suffered a rare defeat in the first leg against Manchester City. Chelsea turned the tie on its head before the halftime whistle. Sandy Baltimore ignited the comeback with a stunning strike into the top corner, followed by Nathalie Bjorn’s header from a corner, leveling the aggregate score at 2-2.
The decisive moment arrived when Lauren James capitalized on a misplaced pass from Manchester City, setting up Mayra Ramirez for the winning goal. The 3-0 victory on the night sealed Chelsea’s progression to the semi-finals with a 3-2 aggregate score.
This victory keeps Chelsea’s hopes of a quadruple alive in Sonia Bompastor’s debut season as manager. They have already secured the League Cup title against Manchester City earlier this month and are through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, while also holding a commanding eight-point lead at the top of the Women’s Super League.
However, their next challenge in the Champions League presents the most formidable test in women’s football as they aim to dethrone Barcelona. Chelsea’s previous attempts to win the Champions League have been thwarted by the Spanish giants in three of the past four seasons, with Barcelona going on to lift the trophy on each of those occasions. Barcelona secured their place in the semi-finals with a dominant 10-2 aggregate victory over Wolfsburg, reaching a record seventh consecutive semi-final.
In the other semi-final, Arsenal will face eight-time winners Lyon for a chance to compete in the final in Lisbon on May 24th.
