“My dressing room believes a lot more in our abilities after these two games,” Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said after her side’s 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final last season. “They believe (Barcelona) is beatable.”
A year later, Chelsea turned her beliefs into reality.
They knew they had to bring a score back to Stamford Bridge to keep the tie alive. Hayes preferred an away leg, but it had to count. And they did, recording their first victory against defending champion Barcelona, a team that hasn’t lost at home in over five years.
Starting games well is always a key factor for Chelsea and in the vast amphitheater of Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium, their defensive efforts were herculean. Barcelona failed to register a single shot on target in the first half and went into halftime for only the second time this season. Chelsea have also evolved in the game, becoming more aggressive and winning more individual duels (53.7 percent to Barcelona’s 46.3).
Hayes’ decision to play a five-man defense with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Ashley Lawrence at right and left back allowed Chelsea to have a very effective low block out of possession and a high press. Lawrence and Kaneryd were allowed to push on the wings but defended astutely, while player of the match Jess Carter timed her sliding challenges perfectly to nullify the usually electric Salma Paralluelo.
Hayes was more animated than usual on the sidelines, applauding every ball won and urging her players to keep fighting.
Given that Barcelona dominate possession, the temptation is to chase the ball, but in the first half Hayes’ side were disciplined, maintained their shape well and denied Barcelona space. It was a marked improvement on last year’s semi-final.
“We’ve been more disciplined this year,” captain Erin Cuthbert said. “We weren’t chasing spaces. As a midfielder you can have someone in front of you, on the side, on the left (or) right, but I wasn’t moved. We haven’t been drawn into areas that we don’t want to be in because I know they want to exploit the spaces that we then leave.
Chelsea’s midfield trio of Cuthbert, Sjoeke Nusken and Melanie Leupolz remained compact. In the words of Barcelona’s Keira Walsh, they were “intense” and “made things really difficult in midfield”. Cuthbert, much admired by Barcelona head coach Jonatan Giraldez, said she felt “comfortable” playing 5-3-2 and being so disciplined, which is quite a statement when Barcelona’s style of play usually suffocates you.
“Even if I made a mistake, if I jumped or if I couldn’t get to the ball, I knew my teammate was behind me,” Cuthbert said. “It didn’t matter if someone made a mistake today. We were all supportive of each other and comfortable in the spaces. We got the shape and execution absolutely perfect.
For all of Chelsea’s discipline, however, they knew they had to be clinical in front of goal. “Emma wants discipline, but sometimes you have to take a chance if you see it,” Cuthbert said.
Cuthbert and Nusken combined for the game’s only goal in the 40th minute, but it started with Chelsea’s aggressive press. They signed Barcelona up, pressing them deep on their own signing. Lawrence intercepted the ball and played it to Cuthbert, who made a first pass to Nusken. Last summer’s rookie was just able to control the ball, get out of trouble and get it to Cuthbert.
“I did the one-two with Sjoeke, that’s a bit of my signature, I like to go back after the ball,” said the Scotland international, who listened to a congratulatory voice note from national team-mate Lisa Evans before speaking to journalists. “Sjoeke chose me very well. I was going to take it early but I think (Ingrid) Engen blocked it very well. So I added an extra touch, I just created this half yard and I’m glad it went in.
There is only one Erin Cuthbert 🤩🤪
pic.twitter.com/pvnkvyvnom– Chelsea Women’s Supporters Group (@ChelseaWomenSG) April 20, 2024
Barcelona’s chance, however, came in the 53rd minute when referee Stéphanie Frappart pointed to the penalty spot after Kadeisha Buchanan handled the ball, but the video assistant referee (VAR) overturned the decision on the pitch because Paralluelo was offside during the build-up.
“The penalty incident really gave us a lot of energy,” Cuthbert said. “It could go in one or two directions. It can then be an attack, but in that moment we stepped up, looked each other in the eye and said, “We can do this.” It’s our game to take.’
Chelsea disrupted Barcelona’s rhythm and used Mayra Ramirez as an outlet on the counter. His physicality and pace shook a Barcelona defense which does not like to defend one against one. After doing all the hard work, taking down Barcelona captain Patri Guijarro, Ramirez should have scored Chelsea’s second goal in the 75th minute, but he shot wide. Hayes put his head in his hands.
As Chelsea made mistakes and ran down the clock, Barcelona’s 36,428 fans shouted “Fora!” in Catalan, a mark of disapproval. The piercing whistles grew louder and louder as Chelsea gained the seconds of injury time. These could have turned into cheers in the 99th minute if the unmarked Alexia Putellas had converted from close range, but she missed the target. Much to Barcelona’s frustration, Chelsea managed the match wonderfully.
“I’m not a fan of playing with these interruptions,” said Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati. “But we knew it, we were talking about Chelsea playing like that, playing ugly. We have to learn to play like that too.
All attention now turns to the second leg at Stamford Bridge next Saturday. Chelsea received a huge psychological boost by beating Barcelona, but “no one should get carried away”, said Hayes, who was disappointed her team did not score a second goal.
With only a 1-0 lead, everything is still up for grabs.
After the match, noisy Barcelona fans chanted: “Si, se puede” (“Yes, we can”). “If anyone can turn things around, it’s this team,” Walsh said.
“We’re only halfway there,” Cuthbert said. “Barça will come for us.”
(Top photo: Adria Puig/Anadolu via Getty Images)