Chelsea

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It is a quick turnaround for the Blues following Saturday’s defeat to Manchester City at Wembley, with our final home game of the Premier League seeing relegation-threatened Spurs visiting Stamford Bridge.

McFarlane will have several decisions to make, including whether Colwill is in contention to feature. After nine months on the sideline due to a knee ligament injury, the 23-year-old has started back-to-back games against Liverpool and Man City.

He completed 90 minutes in both and was hugely impressive, but our interim head coach accepts the England international must be managed carefully in our remaining two matches of the season.

He explained: ‘We need to be careful with Levi. He's obviously off the back of a very serious injury and has performed well in those two games. We'll see how he looks today, how he reports, and we'll make a decision on that.

'It’s been great to have him back, great for English football as well. I think we've got a really talented, really high-potential player here. Injuries are a part of it, and he's shown really good mental strength and character to come through that and perform away at Anfield and in an FA Cup final.

'So we’re really, really excited about Levi and he’s added a lot to the team, not just on the pitch, but off the pitch as well. It's been a brilliant two games for him, and hopefully, he can finish the season strongly.’

Following our Wembley heartache, the Chelsea players reported back to Cobham yesterday (Sunday) to undertake recovery work. They will be back out on the grass this afternoon to complete preparation for Tottenham's visit, and McFarlane says decisions over the match-day squad will then be made.

'They’re going to train this afternoon and then we'll have a much better idea of where they are,' he said. 'It was a tough game on Saturday, so we'll have to see how they've reported in and how they look in training before we have any final say on the squad.

'They were in yesterday. [Hopefully] It's positive signs today when they report, and when they train, they feel good, and we'll make a decision on that as late as we possibly can.'

Three of the players who were absent from our squad on Saturday were Benoit Badiashile, Mamadou Sarr and Romeo Lavia, and McFarlane provided updates on the trio when asked by a journalist.

'Romeo took a slight knock in the build-up to the game,' he said. 'Nothing major, but with Romeo, we didn't want to take that risk. I thought he was brilliant in the games that he did play, and he gave us a lot the same way Levi did, but we just have to be careful with players that have had that injury history.'

On Badiashile and Sarr, McFarlane added: 'They didn't make the squad. They're training really well, training really hard. We can use them in the next two games, potentially, but we've got a lot of players in those positions, so you want to make sure you've got the right balance on your bench, but nothing to report with those two.'

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BTS: Tottenham 🎥 | Video | Official Site  Chelsea

Sonia Bompastor's side came into the game having never lost to Tottenham in the Women's Super League. Yet they faced a very different prospect from the Spurs side of last season.

Since the arrival of Martin Ho at the beginning of the campaign, Spurs have registered eight wins and two draws from their 15 WSL matches this season, with five of those victories recorded on home soil.

Their confidence was evident in Sunday's encounter as Chelsea had to defend hard against the 12 shots they registered in the opening 45 minutes. Tellingly, the Blues made seven tackles, 12 clearances and four interceptions in the first half alone.

Yet we ultimately came away with a 2-0 victory and all three points, even in the face of a determined Tottenham side. Here's how we did it...

Clinical Chelsea

A goal either side of half-time was enough to seal the points for the Blues, but the stats show this was it was evenly-matched encounter.

Although we kept the ball for 62 per cent of the game, we only took one more shot than our opponents, and the Expected Goals (xG) totals make for interesting reading. Our two goals saw us slightly outperform our xG of 1.92, while Spurs came away with an xG of 1.79.

Those figures illustrate just how hard Chelsea were pushed and highlight that Keira Walsh and Alyssa Thompson displayed their clinical finishing to come out of the contest with a goal apiece.

Girma helps weather the storm

It wasn't only Walsh's strike that enabled the Blues to go in at half-time one goal in front. A resolute defensive performance kept the home side at bay during the first 45 minutes.

Naomi Girma was one of the standout performers in our backline, making the most ball recoveries of any outfield player (seven), while also producing two blocks, winning one tackle, one aerial duel and completing 96 of her 100 passing attempts.

As Chelsea began to get a foothold in the game, the American also registered one shot on target and completed 14 passes in the final third of the pitch.

Nusken shines

Bompastor handed Sjoeke Nusken a place in Sunday's starting XI, and the midfielder responded with a performance that earned her the Player of the Match award after the final whistle.

Deployed alongside Erin Cuthbert, and slightly ahead of Keira Walsh in midfield, Nusken created more chances (two) than any other player on the side.

It was also the German international's shot on target that was parried by Spurs goalkeeper Lize Kop and finished by Thompson early in the second half as she made a keen impact on the outcome of the match.

As the graphic above shows, Nusken battled all over the pitch before she was replaced by Guro Reiten after 79 minutes, winning the ball back five times and successfully completing two out of her four tackle attempts.

Potter up to the task

Bompastor explained after the game that replacing Walsh at half-time was planned. In her place came a capable deputy, even though she had big shoes to fill.

Nineteen-year-old academy graduate Lexi Potter has made one start and six substitute appearances this season and is becoming an increasingly familiar face in this Chelsea team.

Taking over the holding midfielder role that Walsh executed in the first half, Potter produced a level high in possession, showcasing a maturity beyond her years.

In addition to completing 22 of her 24 passing attempts in the second half, Potter won one tackle and recovered the ball on two separate occasions.

Full Match: Spurs 0-2 Chelsea | Video | Official Site  Chelsea

After holding firm against the home side’s pressure in the opening stages of the match, the Blues scored either side of half-time to seal victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

And after losing back-to-back Women's Super League games against Arsenal and Manchester City, the experienced midfielder was delighted to have reversed our recent fortunes.

‘To be honest, it’s a relief,’ Cuthbert said after our win. ‘It's been a tough couple of weeks and something that maybe a lot of us haven't been used to. But certainly over the nine or ten years I've been here, we've had moments like this, and it's going to be like this.

‘The league is getting better. We played against two top teams who probably beat us quite convincingly, but I think it was back to the drawing board this week, back to regrouping and showing who we are.

‘We didn't want to be a Chelsea team that just bowed down game after game. That's not what we're about, it's not what we're built upon. So, I think the performance today, with players like Sio (Sjoeke Nusken) sprinting, chasing for the ball, blocking every tackle, showed that from the very first minute we were on it.

‘It was a difficult first 20 minutes, and we could have been quite lucky, if I'm honest, but sometimes you need a bit of luck to get out of a bit of a hole.’

Having won six consecutive Women’s Super League titles with Chelsea, Cuthbert explained that she finds it difficult to get over defeats.

She says the answer lies in the team continuing to support each other and having the confidence to reproduce the quality shown in training once they step out onto the pitch in competitive matches.

‘Listen, it hurts, it really does,’ she said. ‘It hurts me deep. I haven’t been able to sleep properly. Seriously, it really affects me.

‘We have a top team in this dressing room, but sometimes we forget how to play football,’ she joked. ‘Everyone sees that. With the quality we have and what I see in training, it’s not always showing up in games.

‘It’s about trying to give everyone confidence because we all want the best for each other and we all want to succeed.’

Goals on either side of the half-time interval from Keira Walsh and Alyssa Thompson, coupled with a solid defensive display to keep the clean sheet, ensured Chelsea claimed a much-needed victory in the WSL.

We have picked out our favourite images from yesterday's win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which you can view below now!

The Blues faced plenty of early pressure from the home side, but some resolute defending saw our backline hold firm, and we got the breakthrough just before half-time when Keira Walsh smashed home from inside the penalty area.

Chelsea were just as hungry after the break, and Alyssa Thompson was on hand to put us two goals to the good when she was lively to a rebounded fired in a shot from inside the box.

It was also a special day for Sandy Baltimore as she was introduced as a second-half substitute for her 50th appearance for Chelsea.

This was a much-needed clinical display from Bompastor's Blues, as the head coach presided over a well-organised performance away from home against a lively Tottenham side.

Early danger

Sonia Bompastor made two alterations from the side which faced Manchester City last weekend, bringing in Sjoeke Nusken for Wieke Kaptein and switching Johanna Rytting Kaneryd for Baltimore.

Hannah Hampton had to look lively early on when she was called upon to block a close-range shot from Bethany England with her legs, and Naomi Girma was also alive to the danger when she cleared the loose ball behind for a corner.

Pressure builds

The home side went close once more when Olivia Holdt let fly with a shot from 25 yards out, which thumped onto the crossbar. Chelsea countered Spurs' early pressure when Keira Walsh played a raking pass out to the right-hand side, but the Tottenham defence shut Rytting Kaneryd down inside the box before she could get her shot away.

After putting together a recent run of good results, Tottenham's confidence seemed high, but when they threatened our goal again, our defence held firm. Key blocks from Girma, Veerle Buurman and Nusken inside the penalty area prevented Spurs from opening the scoring as they fired three consecutive shots towards the goal mouth.

The breakthrough

Just as Walsh was the player to break the deadlock in our 1-0 win over Tottenham at Kingsmeadow back in October, the England international put us ahead just before the interval somewhat against the run of play.

Erin Cuthbert's corner was swung in and headed clear by the home side, only for the ball to break loose to an unmarked Walsh in the centre of the penalty area and the midfielder drove her shot home with power to give us the lead.

Doubling the advantage

The second came just after the interval when a pin-point ball from Carpenter on the right picked out Nusken in the box and when her shot was parried by Lize Kop, Thompson was perfectly placed to rifle her follow-up attempt high into the net.

After both sides had made changes, the Blues went close once more as Girma had her close-range effort gratefully gathered by Kop at the near post.

Substitute Baltimore almost marked her 50th appearance in Blue with a goal but couldn't quite get the ball out from under her feet inside the six-yard box, before Spurs fashioned a chance on the break which was hit over the bar by Cathinka Tandberg.

Hampton then made a superb stop in the dying stages of the encounter when she found herself one-on-one with Holdt to preserve the clean sheet, and Rytting Kaneryd had an attempt saved by Kop deep into the five minutes of stoppage time.

This was an important win for Chelsea as we got ourselves back on track in the WSL following a duo of disappointing defeats.

What it means...

Chelsea sit third in the Women's Super League table, one point behind Manchester United in second and nine points behind league leaders Manchester City.

What comes next...

We are in WSL action once again next weekend, as we face Liverpool at Kingsmeadow on Sunday 15 February at 12 noon.

The teams

Chelsea: Hampton, Carpenter, Bright (c) (Sarwie 83), Girma, Buurman, Nusken (Reiten 79), Walsh (Potter h/t), Cuthbert, James (Baltimore 63), Thompson (Kerr 79), Rytting Kaneryd

Unused subs: Peng, Spencer, Shooter

Scorers: Walsh 39 Thompson 49

Tottenham: Kop, Nilden, Gaupset (Nilden 71), England (c) (Tandberg 65), Holdt, Vinberg (Gunning-Williams 65), Hunt, Wijk (Dennis 78), Summanen, Koga, Blakstad (Ahtinen 65)

Unused subs: Heeps, Jackson, Bartrip, Rybrink

Booked: Tandberg 80

Tottenham Hotspur Women v Chelsea Women | Match | Official Site  Chelsea