Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor was left frustrated by the draw at Leicester, saying any team with table-topping ambitions should not be dropping points as they did on Saturday.
The Blues looked far from their usual selves at the King Power Stadium, going behind to a Missy Goodwin goal against the run of play inside 20 minutes.
Wieke Kaptein scored a late equaliser to keep Chelsea’s unbeaten run intact, but the 1-1 draw did bring an end to a 13-game winning streak. The Blues will still finish the year top of the WSL table, although their lead could be cut to three points by the end of Sunday’s games.
It was arguably their most testing game of the league season so far and Bompastor voiced her disappointment after the game.
Speaking to the club’s website, she said: “I’m frustrated because we have talent in the team, but we didn’t show that in the first half. The players need to realise this is a competitive league and if you don’t show up from the start, you don’t get good results.
Wieke Kaptein scored the equaliser for Chelsea
“It’s even more frustrating for me because when the other team plays a really good game, you have to give credit to them. I give credit to Leicester because they were strong defensively. They were all together and mentally tough.
“But, I think we have more talent than that. We had to be able to beat this team today and if you have ambitions to finish at the top of the table, you cannot drop points like we did in this game today.”
While Chelsea’s WSL campaign may be paused for the winter break, they do travel to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Blues have already qualified for the knockout rounds at the top of their group, but Bompastor wants a reaction after a lacklustre display.
Missy Goodwin fired Leicester ahead in the first half
“It’s good now to see how we react,” she added to Chelsea’s club media. “How we analyse the performance and how we move forward. We are going to stay together no matter what.
“That’s easy when you win. When you drop points or when you lose the game, it’s also really important to stay together. We have one really important game before the end of the year.
“It will be an opportunity for us to react, get a win and be in a better place going into the winter break.”
Analysis: What happened to Chelsea?
Sky Sports’ Charlotte Marsh:
Up until Saturday, Chelsea looked unstoppable: 13 wins, numerous goals, top of the table in both the WSL and Champions League.
But the trip to the King Power offered a reminder that, despite the results, the WSL remains fiercely fought and no team are infallible.
Chelsea lacked ideas in attack for much of the game. Yes, there was plenty of possession and shots – a whopping 28 – but many of those did not come until later on. They also failed to make any real use of their 20 corners and were largely ineffective from set-pieces.
Five of their six shots on target came in the final 15 minutes, and they simply looked unable to break down a mightily impressive Leicester defence.
They frustrated Chelsea at every turn – blocking and clearing shots with confidence, coming through to take the ball and effectively double-marking the danger players.
Half-time substitute Catarina Macario began well, but soon found herself targeted. Mayra Ramirez and Maika Hamao – who was taken off at the break – were unable to have an influence.
Chelsea Women saw their winning run ended by Leicester Women on Saturday
Each of the back four topped a statistical defensive category for any player on the pitch – Sophie Howard for clearances (13) while Ale had an assist as well as the most tackles (9). Julie Thibaud won the most tackles (4) and Sari Kees made the joint-most interceptions (4).
Chelsea made a rod for their own backs, too, with their defending for Goodwin’s goal. The Leicester forward should not have been open to pick her spot with the Blues pooled over towards the right-hand side.
Ultimately, a team like Chelsea should be experienced and smart enough to find the solutions, but it did not quite work out that way on this occasion.
There is perhaps an argument that some fatigue is setting in heading into the winter break, with the continued injuries for the likes of Lauren James and Sam Kerr.
Both are catalysts for Chelsea’s attacking play and provide potent outlets, and despite seven changes from the midweek game against Twente, there looked to be a lethargy overall.
With one game to go against Real Madrid on Tuesday, Bompastor will be hoping to right some wrongs and end on a high. Chelsea do still remain unbeaten, but the result raised questions.
