Wieke Kaptein’s 77th-minute equaliser denied Leicester City only their second victory of the season as the Foxes registered a creditable 1-1 draw with the reigning champions Chelsea at the King Power Stadium. Missy Goodwin’s first-half strike meant Sonia Bompastor’s perfect WSL record to came to an end on Saturday.
In their final domestic-based encounter of 2024, Chelsea named a familiarly formidable formation with top-scorer Guro Reiten starting alongside Maika Hamano and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, just behind Mayra Ramírez in a 4-2-3-1.
Meanwhile, struggling Leicester made a hat-trick of changes to their back four following their comprehensive 4-0 defeat away at Manchester City. Asmita Ale, Sari Kees and Julie Thibaud all returned to the Foxes’ XI.
Looking to become the first-ever side to win their opening 10 matches of a WSL campaign, leaders Chelsea were expectedly on the front foot throughout the opening 15 minutes; only Janina Leitzig’s fingertips and the crossbar kept out Reiten’s thunderous strike from outside the area.
However, after 20 minutes, the game’s opening goal came against the run of play at the opposite end of the King Power. On in the place of injury-stricken Deanne Rose, early first-half substitute Missy Goodwin capped off a cunning Foxes’ counter-attack, clinically slotting the ball into the far corner beyond Hannah Hampton.
Despite dominating possession – amassing over two-thirds throughout the opening 45 – the defending champions did not leave Bompastor feeling the blues just yet. But, with 12 attempts on goal by the break, only two on target, it was clear something needed to change.
And that is exactly what the Chelsea manager did, pulling no punches by introducing Niamh Charles and Catarina Macario.
Exasperatedly, the visitors, who travel to Spain to face Real Madrid in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Tuesday, had to wait until the 74th minute to call Leitzig into action as Macario headed straight into the arms of the grateful German goalkeeper.
However, heartbreakingly for Leicester, their resistance was finally broken no fewer than two minutes later as Kaptein delightfully found the bottom corner with a sublimely-struck strike from a distance.
Ramírez forced Leitzig into a reflex save at her near post not long after as the visitors menacingly searched for a late winner. Nonetheless, the Foxes bravely stood their ground for the remainder of the contest, which included six minutes of second-half stoppage time, and saw Sjoeke Nüsken inexplicably sky the ball high into the stands from beneath the penalty spot.
Starting XIs
Leicester City: Leitzig; Ale, Kees, Howard, Thibaud; Mace, Cayman; Rose, Momiki, Cain; Takarada
Chelsea: Hampton; Bronze, Björn, Bright, Lawrence; Nüsken, Kaptein; Kaneryd, Hamano, Reiten; Ramírez
Featured image courtesy of Steven Taylor.