Sports
CHELSEA kept up their formidable form with victory over West Ham to reach their sixth successive League Cup final – and first under manager Sonia Bompastor.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd opened the scoring in the 20th minute at Kingsmeadow when she squeezed the ball between West Ham keeper Kinga Szemik and her near post.
The Blues doubled their lead nine minutes later as German Sjoeke Nusken stole possession high up the pitch before calmly rounding Szemik and poking home.
The Women’s Super League leaders have now gone 22 games unbeaten this season and remain in the hunt for a historic quadruple of trophies.
Bompastor has also yet to taste defeat since being appointed as Emma Hayes’ successor in May.
And the Frenchwoman will have a first shot at silverware as Blues boss after her side confidently booked a place in March’s showpiece at Derby’s Pride Park Stadium.
Chelsea have appeared in every League Cup final since the 2019-20 season, but have had to settle for runners-up medals in each of the past three years.
They will face the winners of Thursday’s semi-final between Arsenal, who have beaten Chelsea in the past two finals, and 2022 winners Manchester City.
Walsh composed on first start in Blues cruise
Even Bompastor could not have imagined her start to life at Chelsea going as well as this.
Not only do her side lead the WSL by seven points, they are in the latter stages of the Champions League and FA Cup.
Now a first trophy of the season is within touching distance.
And with the addition of world record signing Naomi Girma and another big-money arrival in Keira Walsh, the Blues have underlined their intentions to continue challenging on all fronts.
“Really pleased to have Keira,” Bompastor said, after the England midfielder made her full Chelsea debut. “She’s a top-class player. She brings a lot of calmness with the ball in possession, and I think a serenity in the team. For her debut, I think she did well, she had a great game.
“I’m really pleased to have depth in my squad. Having three games a week, it’s a big opportunity for everyone to rotate and get minutes. It helps for me to keep almost everyone happy.”
While USA defender Girma watched from the stands at a cold Kingsmeadow, Walsh was warmly welcomed by the home faithful on her first start since her move from Barcelona.
Having had only 12 minutes to impress off the bench at Aston Villa on Sunday, the 27-year-old found acres of space and always appeared as an option for her new team-mates.
Walsh’s composure on the ball at the base of midfield allowed the energetic Nusken and Maika Hamano to push forward and pile pressure on West Ham’s defence.
While Chelsea’s clear-cut chances were limited in the second half, they remained in control of the tie as their fans joyfully chanted ‘Que sera, sera…we’re going to Derby’ as the clock wound down.
Hammers fall short at final hurdle
The Hammers were bidding to reach the League Cup final for the first time in their history and avoid a repeat 5-0 thrashing from their last outing against Chelsea.
“That was a huge learning curve,” manager Rehanne Skinner said when asked if she saw improvements compared to that WSL defeat in January.
“It [Wednesday’s performance] stands us in good stead. We just have to take that positivity and that mentality into all games we play now for the rest of the season.”
Skinner’s side were compact and organised early on as the hosts struggled to find a way through.
That was until defender Eva Nystrom’s headed clearance landed straight at the feet of Rytting Kaneryd and the Swede dinked the ball into space before slamming home.
West Ham reacted quickly as Shekiera Martinez broke free moments later but lifted a skewed effort over the crossbar and into the stands.
Hannah Hampton’s blushes were then spared when the Chelsea goalkeeper’s deflected clearance off Viviane Asseyi trickled just wide.
But, chasing an equaliser, the gaps in West Ham’s defence started to show and it wasn’t long before the Blues’ high press was rewarded with their second goal.
Skinner’s side improved defensively after the break, but concerns over their firepower and attacking creativity remain as Hampton remained largely untroubled.
“Obviously we’re really disappointed with the loss,” Skinner added. “We wanted to be in a final but it was a really positive performance overall.
“All of the players worked their socks off, we were competing with them tonight. Budgets or no budgets, a lot of it comes from character and heart and hard work, and I think we’ve shown that tonight.”
bbcsport
A.I
Feb. 6, 2025
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