Chelsea 5-2 Leicester City
Report by Ruby Vince and exclusive photos from Mariella Prew both at Kingsmeadow for Impetus (27/11/23).
Above: Lauren James celebrates another great goal for Chelsea. Photo: Mariella Prew for Impetus.
In a thrilling encounter at Kingsmeadow Chelsea saw off a feisty Leicester City in a match that was full of goals and ambition. The scoreboard came alive early in the game, setting the tone for an action-packed ninety-plus minutes.
The opening exchanges saw two goals occur, starting with Chelsea’s superstar forward, Lauren James, finding the back of the net in the second minute after profiting from a poor pass from Leicester’s Sam Tierney.
James was set up by Sam Kerr just minutes later but her shot was saved by Janina Leitzig, unfortunately for Leicester, the ball rebounded off Courtney Nevin leading to an own goal.
The visitors kept their cool and brought one back with Jutta Rantala firing in a goal with a great assist from Lena Petermann. Chelsea, determined to keep their lead into half time pushed through with Kerr finding the net in the 40th minute, minutes after a disallowed goal.
Just before the halftime whistle, Leicester had the last say in the first half, with Tierney scoring in the 45th minute, putting them back in the game once again.
As the teams returned for the second half, Chelsea showed their resilience. James produced a lovely chipped goal, her second of the match in the 58th minute, once again boosting their lead. The intensity remained high, with both teams conceding corners, but clearing them to prevent any further goals.
As the match entered its final stages, substitutions came into play. Hannah Cain came on for Aimee Palmer, injecting fresh energy into Leicester’s attack. Ashley Lawrence entered the field for Niamh Charles, and Sjoeke Nusken replaced James for Chelsea. Young superstar Aggie Beever-Jones made a significant impact after coming on for Fran Kirby, sealing the victory with a goal in the 88th minute.
In a rollercoaster of a match, Chelsea emerged victorious with a final score of 5-2. This result means Emma Hayes’ side maintain their three-point advantage over rivals Arsenal at the top of the table, while Leicester’s winless run extended to a sixth match.
Teams: CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Berger (GK), Ingle, Carter, James, Kirby, Perisset, Mjelde, Kaneryd, Kerr (C), Charles, Cuthbert. Substitutes– Musovic (GK), Hampton (GK), Fishel, Nouwen (86’), Nusken (74’), Lawrence (74’), Fleming (81’), Buchanan, Beever-Jones (74’)
Scorers: James 2’, 58’. Nevin 5’ og. Kerr 40’. Beever-Jones 88’
LEICESTER CITY (3-4-3): Leitzig (GK), Nevin, Tierney, Bott, Howard, Palmer, Rantala, Petermann, Whelan, Cayman, Thibaud. Substitutes– Kop (GK), Robinson, Green (76’), Siemsen (76’), Goodwin (76’), Cain (45’), Baker, Sherwood, Draper
Scorers: Rantala 26’. Tierney 44’
Referee: Megan Wilson.
Attendance: 2,558.
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