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That’s all for tonight; I’ll leave you with Tom Garry’s blog. Thanks for your company!
ShareChelsea reaction
Aggie Beever-Jones
Ellie put it [the first goal] on a plate for me; she was outstanding. We had a good pre-season and we’re delighted to start with a win.
I’m just trying to build on last season. There’s still a lot to improve but being in a world-class team is so helpful. I’ve been working on my hold-up play a lot.
Ellie Carpenter
We played with a back five which allowed me to get up more in attack. We’ve worked a lot in training on getting early crosses in behind; Aggie made a great run and tapped it in so it made me look good!
Pre-season was hard – it’s actually my first full pre-season – but it was really nice to create those relationships with the team. Being new to the environment, you can see the winning mentality from day one.
Updated at 16.48 EDT
Tom Garry
There are some pretty dejected faces in the Man City squad as they quietly applaud their travelling fans away to our left, and you sense the mood is related to those two injuries late in the game just as much as it is to the scoreline. Chelsea, meanwhile, gather in a huge circle with all of their staff while Freed From Desire and then London Calling ring around the stadium. The champions are up and running – again.
ShareFull time: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City
Chelsea’s bid for a seventh straight title begins with a hard-fought victory over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. Their new right-back Ellie Carpenter was outstanding, particularly in attack, and made the first goal for Aggie Beever-Jones.
Maika Hamano made it two in the second half before Niamh Charles’ own goal gave City hope. There was plenty of encouragement overall for City, who made Chelsea work extremely hard and probably deserved a draw. But they lost Alex Greenwood and Lily Murphy to injury; the latter could be out for a while.
Chelsea’s Millie Bright (centre) high-fives teammate Oriane Jean-Francois (left) as Aggie Beever-Jones looks on following their victory over Manchester City. Photograph: Maja Hitij/WSL/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.46 EDT
90+12 min Murphy is now being stretchered round the perimeter of the field. City have used all their subs so will be down to 10 players for the last few seconds.
90+11 min Murphy is still receiving treatment. We haven’t seen a replay so it’s not clear what happened – I think she landed awkwardly after being challenged by a Chelsea defender.
90+9 min Sky are not showing pictures of Murphy receiving treatment, which is never a good sign. That treatment is apparently ongoing. It’s a desperately sad way to start the season.
Updated at 16.28 EDT
90+6 min City’s young winger Lily Murphy is in a lot of pain; I fear she may have dislocated her shoulder. Play continued for a while with the Chelsea keeper Hannah Hampton frantically waving for the physios to come onto the field.
Updated at 16.25 EDT
90+4 min: City substitution Alex Greenwood is down and looks like she has pulled or tweaked something. She walks off to be replaced by Leila Ouahabi.
90 min Nobody is happy to start the season with a defeat but there are a lot of positives for City to take from this game even if it does end in defeat. Apart from a 20-minute spell in the first half, City have been at least the equals of Chelsea.
They have five added minutes in which to find an equaliser.
86 min: Chelsea substitution Sjoeke Nusken replaces Wieke Kaptein, who made what could be the decisive second goal for Chelsea.
85 min: City substitution The Swiss international Iman Beney comes on for Vivianne Miedema.
83 min Murphy, who has switched wings with Hemp, floats a curler from the edge of the area that is pushed away a little unconvincingly by the diving Hampton. The rebound bounces awkwardly in front of Greenwood, who can’t get a shot away.
82 min Lots of City pressure now. A draw wouldn’t flatter them given the balance of play, particularly in the second half.
79 min Shaw, who is desperate to score, smashes an excellent shot from the right edge of the area that goes just over the bar. Hampton probably had it covered, though she was at full stretch and looked a bit concerned.
Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw reacts after seeing her shot go over the bar. Photograph: John Walton/PAShare
Updated at 16.24 EDT
78 min: Substitution for City Laura Blindkilde Brown replaces Sydney Lohmann.
77 min: Double substitution for Chelsea Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Oriane Jean-Francois come on for Erin Cuthbert, who has an unspecified injury, and Sandy Baltimore.
75 min Hemp, who has had a superb second half, makes ground down the right, then moves infield and finds Shaw. She turns and shoots from 25 yards; it’s straight at Hampton.
74 min Carpenter is fouled just outside the area by Murphy. Baltimore’s free-kick leads to a scramble in the City area, with Macario’s shot blocked and Walsh slicing the rebound off target from 15 yards.
72 min Charles makes partial amends with a crucial interception to stop Shaw’s pass finding Hemp, who would have been clean through on goal.
ShareGOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Man City (Charles og 70)
City are back in it. Greenwood arcs a dangerous free-kick from the right wing that is shouldered into het own net by the unsighted Charles. The ball may have brushed the head of Prior just in front of her; either way Charles couldn’t react quickly enough and diverted it past Hampton.
Chelsea’s Niamh Charles (left) scores an own goal and Manchester City’s first. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 16.06 EDT
70 min “I can only imagine all MBM writers have ‘ City midfielder [insert name] is booked for a tactical foul’ (56 min) ready to paste at all times,” writes Matt Dony. “This joke was brought to you from 2018.”
68 min Hemp scurries away from Charles and cuts the ball back towards Shaw at the near post. She has her back to goal so lays it off to Miedema, whose stinging shot is blocked.
67 min Lily Murphy runs at Carpenter, shifts the ball onto her right foot and whips a nice cross-shot that flashes a few yards wide of the far post.
ShareGOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Man City (Hamano 64)
And just like that, Chelsea put the game to bed (probably). Wieke Kaptein surges down the right, onto a good first-time flick from Macario, and slides a low cross back towards Macario. She misses her kick but the tireless Maika Hamano is waiting behind her to screw a first-time shot into the net.
Maika Hamano slots the ball home to double Chelsea’s lead against Manchester City. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/ReutersWhich she is pleased about … Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/ReutersAnd celebrates with a knee slide. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 17.00 EDT
62 min A loose pass from Prior is intercepted by Carpenter, who charges straight into the City area and is about to shoot when Yamashita dives at her feet to claim.
Chelsea’s Ellie Carpenter puts the burners on to go past Manchester City’s Sydney Lohmann. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 15.59 EDT
61 min: Chelsea substitution Beever-Jones breaks that sequence with a driven shot that goes high and wide. It’s her last contribution: she is replaced by Catarina Macario.
59 min A good stat on Sky: since Beever-Jones’ goal, all nine attempts at goal have been from City.
56 min City midfielder Sydney Lohmann is booked for a tactical foul.
Share54 min: Just wide by Hasegawa
City are all over Chelsea at the moment. A deft touch from Shaw releases Hemp, whose early goal is flicked just wide by Hasegawa. It was a neat bit of improvisation, a first-time flick behind her front leg, but it drifted past the far post.
Updated at 15.45 EDT
52 min Greenwood’s corner is headed wide by Shaw, under pressure at the far post.
49 min Casparij’s cross from the right is headed away to the edge of the area. Hasegawa runs onto the ball and hits a technically superb volley that is beaten away by Hampton. It was straight at her but well struck.
46 min No changes on either side at the break.
Half-time reading