Man City 2-0 Chelsea: Gareth Taylor’s side jump above opponents to second in the WSL

There was an air of disbelief and derision when Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor said in December that his team could still win the title.

Eight behind then leaders Chelsea, it seemed inconceivable. Seven games and six wins later, no one is laughing now.

Their 2-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday, their first in the league in 12 tries, lifted them to the top of the table and opened the Women’s Super League title race wide open.

A pre-match montage played on the big screen before kick-off showed City’s back-to-back defeats against Aston Villa and Chelsea at the start of the season. Those losses came after the club was knocked out of the Champions League in the qualifying stages. It looked like they were hitting rock bottom and there were question marks as to whether Taylor was the right man to take the club forward.

What followed were goals from the 11 wins they had since achieved. It felt like a statement to those who had doubted them. City have always believed they could still win the league, now maybe the rest of the football world will too.

Filippa Angeldahl (above) fired a shot from outside the box to score her first WSL goal

Chelsea missed the chance to go on top and their players and managers rallied after the final whistle.

“I think Chelsea will win the title if we don’t win today,” Taylor said. It has really opened it up.

“It’s still the title Chelsea lose if we look at it that way, but it’s a really positive step for us and gives us great confidence for the next term.”

‘To be in this position now from where we were is excellent. We haven’t done anything yet, we still have some big games to come, six games to go, a lot of challenges ahead, but we do it with high levels of confidence.

Four teams can realistically become champions. Manchester United are currently the leaders on goal difference, with City tied on points for second. Chelsea and Arsenal have played one game less than the two North-West clubs, with the Blues a point clear and the Gunners three.

Emma Hayes’s side, who had beaten European champions Lyon in a Champions League test match on Wednesday, looked tired and long-legged. Goals from Filipa Angeldahl and Lauren Hemp gave City a 2-0 lead in 30 minutes, the first time Chelsea had conceded two in the first half hour since 2019.

“I thought we were so slow in the first half, third road game in a week, I thought it looked like it,” Hayes said. “I thought it was the difference between the two teams in the first half.” The game was very difficult, your minds may want to do a million things. If your legs can’t, that’s the challenge.

Man City had a 2-0 lead after the 30-minute mark when Lauren Hemp scored the second goal

Chelsea struggled to create chances with Sam Kerr receiving little support up front

Emma Hayes was not happy with her squad and made two changes in the 36th minute, shutting out both Lauren James and Sophie Ingle shortly after the second goal went into the net.

City were up from the first whistle and took the lead after 21 minutes. Angeldahl intercepted a pass from Ann-Katrin Berger and played a one-two with Hemp. Chelsea faced off against the City midfielder, who sent a sensational chipping finish into the top left corner to score her first league goal for the club.

The second came nine minutes later when Chelsea failed to clear a cross into the box. Laura Coombs managed to get the ball back to Hemp, who hit a phenomenal half volley into the top right corner.

After 36 minutes, Hayes had seen enough. Lauren James and Sophie Ingle left to be replaced by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Niamh Charles.

Perhaps just as impressive as City’s two goals was his ability to finish off the second half. It was a defensive performance that we are used to seeing from Chelsea. The visitors rarely threatened the home goal after the break.

Taylor had said in his pre-match remarks that if they won all their remaining games, they would equal Chelsea’s point tally from last season. Next weekend’s trip to Arsenal is another season-defining game for Taylor’s side in what is undoubtedly the most exciting title race in WSL history.

Man City’s Yui Hasegawa gets past Chelsea’s opposite midfielder Melanie Leupolz

City had more chances to extend the lead with Angeldahl looking for his second goal

Gareth Taylor’s side are now level with Manchester United for the top, but just one point clear of Chelsea, who have a game to go over both sides.