The Blues were victorious in the first of four meetings between these two English giants this month, with the onus on the Cityzens to respond
It was always going to be fascinating to see how the first instalment of Chelsea vs Manchester City played out on Saturday. These two English giants will face each other four times in just 12 days this month and the first victory went to the team in the darker shade of blue, who won the Women's League Cup for the first time in four years thanks to a 2-1 result at Derby County's Pride Park.
In truth, it's tough to know how much can be read into this game. It wasn't played on a great pitch, as the next two encounters – at City's Joie Stadium – will be, and it was Chelsea who adjusted better to that, recognising that longer balls up to Mayra Ramirez could be more effective than attempting slick passing moves on a bobbly surface. The Colombia international had the better of her marker, too, and was a difference maker with a goal and a cross that City midfielder Yui Hasegawa turned into her own net.
However, at the very least, the mental advantage resides with Chelsea. "Psychologically, it's really important to win the first one," Sonia Bompastor, the Blues' head coach, said after the game. "It won't be the main element of the next game but in terms of confidence, that's really positive. In terms of recovery, you always recover better when you win the game. It won't be enough to think that because we won this game, we will win on Wednesday. It's important to take it game by game, especially in different competitions."
That said, there are several elements that both sides will carry forward into the next three encounters, with certain players to take confidence from victories in their individual battles, both coaches to have made plenty of notes and potential changes to personnel and game plans sure to be whizzing around the minds of those in the dugout.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Pride Park…
Getty ImagesWINNER: Sonia Bompastor
Chelsea did not bring in Bompastor because they wanted to win the League Cup. After years of trying to win the Champions League, it's clear that, after Emma Hayes' departure, the club believes she could be the manager to deliver that, having won the title as a coach and a player at Lyon. However, picking up the first silverware of the season is only going to increase the confidence in this team as they bid to get their hands on the one trophy missing from their collection.
It's not easy to win the League Cup, either. Chelsea had made the last three finals of this competition and lost them all. For Bompastor to come in and get over this first hurdle, then, is a great result and, as she noted, it will certainly give her team a psychological boost as they prepare to face the same opponent three more times, including in games that do have an impact on that European game.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Man City
City made a huge call this week when they opted to part ways with head coach Gareth Taylor and bring back former boss Nick Cushing until the end of the season. It was a decision that came just five days before Saturday's final and it certainly would not have aided their preparation for this match, which they ultimately lost.
That's not to say City lost because they replaced Taylor with Cushing, but it is a call didn't provide any immediate advantage when it came to winning this final. Will it have a greater impact down the stretch, as the team aims to qualify for next season's Champions League while hoping to go deeper into this year's competition? Only time will well.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Mayra Ramirez
Ramirez has had some real stand-out moments in her Chelsea career to date and Saturday's match-winning performance was another for her collection. The Colombia international was an absolute nightmare for City to deal with, be it because of her runs in behind or her ability to put teams on the back foot with how dangerous she is when driving with the ball.
It was the former which gave her the two biggest chances of Saturday's game, including the goal she scored. In truth, Ramirez really should have had two, having rounded Ayaka Yamashita just before the half hour mark but hit the side-netting rather than making it 2-0 to Chelsea. But she didn't let her head drop and continued to work hard to be a nuisance and it was more good movement which put her into the position to deliver the cross that Hasegawa turned into her own net to decide the match.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Laia Aleixandri
There are not many defenders who would fair well in an individual duel with Ramirez. She's quick, she's strong, she's extremely intelligent with her movement and she is bursting with the confidence that makes her stand up to her marker and run at them. Laia Aleixandri certainly felt the brunt of that on Saturday.
The Spain international is already in a tough spot, as the senior figure needing to hold down the centre of City defence hampered by injuries. Her strong partnership with Alex Greenwood was broken up by the England star's knee surgery in December, then January signing Rebecca Knaak, who settled in nicely enough to win her first Germany cap in February, sustained a hamstring issue that has sidelined her.
Aleixandri is now partnering 20-year-old academy product Gracie Prior, whose place in the team on Saturday felt like a possible risk. However, it was her more experienced team-mate who Ramirez often placed herself next to, sensing that she had the better of that individual duel – and she was right. The Colombian's movement often left Aleixandri in the wrong positions to react and that proved costly.