Chelsea 1-0 Aston Villa

Despite a valiant display Aston Villa fell to a 1-0 defeat in their opening 2024/25 Women’s Super League fixture away to Chelsea this evening.

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s goal on the 36^th minute was the difference as Hannah Hampton pulled off several spectacular saves in the game’s final few minutes to deny the Villans anything from the contest.

Robert de Pauw handed debuts to summer signings Sabrina D’Angelo, Paula Tomas, Missy Bo Kearns and Chasity Grant as he named his first starting 11 of the new campaign.

Villa started the encounter on the back foot as Chelsea came out strong and Guro Reiten came close to bagging the opener on the 9^th minute as she dragged a low shot wide of the target from the edge of the box.

Villa then began to grow into the fixture and were agonisingly close to going ahead four minutes later. Tomas beat her marker inside the box before finding Grant at the back post who fired the ball back towards goal and into the feet of Kearns, but her first time shot flew over the crossbar.

D’Angelo denied Lucy Bronze on the 17^th minute as she read her headed effort well and made the save.

The shot stopper was called into action again on the 35^th minute as she superbly got across to safely punch Sandy Balitmore’s cross away.

But there was nothing she was able to do about Rytting Kaneryd’s shot a minute later as the Chelsea midfield put her side ahead with a clean left footed strike from inside the final third.

Villa came out fighting after the half-time break as they began their hunt for the equaliser.

Rachel Daly saw her looping head bounce off the cross bar on the 49^th minute as the side’s many chances started to roll out.

Tomas carried the ball inside the Chelsea half before cutting inside and unleashing a shot on target that was blocked just moments before Adriana Leon also saw a header from close range saved.

Leon was involved again on the 80^th minute as a short clearance fell to the forward inside the box, she took a touch before sending the ball back towards goal, but her effort was saved.

The ball didn’t leave the Chelsea half in the game’s dying minutes as Villa piled heavy pressure onto the reigning league champions.

Daly saw another strong effort saved before D’Angelo forced Hampton into a superb save as she came up to tower a header towards goal from a Jordan Nobs free-kick.

Villa’s late onslaught wasn’t enough to secure them a deserved point from the fixture and the side’s attention now turns to next Sunday’s home opener against Tottenham Hotspur.