Lauren James shows what Chelsea have been missing, Villa get a ‘cruel’ crushing and the leaders bounce back
If there were any questions around how Manchester City would respond to seeing their unbeaten league run end, they were quickly put to bed. Andrée Jeglertz’s side were back to their free-flowing attacking best, putting six past Leicester. Dominant seems to be a bit of an understatement when describing this performance. The league leaders created 31 chances, with 15 on target; had an xG of 4.63; registered 66 touches in the opposition box; and made 600 of 660 passes (91%). The front four of Lauren Hemp, Bunny Shaw, Kerolin and Vivianne Miedema is formidable and they were all involved, to some degree, in five of the six goals. Hemp starred down the left, creating 11 chances that include two assists; Shaw sent home a trademark header for her 15th league goal of the season; Miedema pulled the strings and grabbed herself a brace; and Kerolin scored the pick of the bunch and registered an assist. Sophie Downey
Lauren James was the headline act in Chelsea’s win 2-0 over Liverpool with a trademark finish and an assist for Sjoeke Nüsken’s opener. In a game defined by which team were able to take their opportunities, James’s ability to be the gamechanger shone through, first as a more central forward then on the wing. It was also a reminder of the fact that Sonia Bompastor has been unable to call upon her quality for long periods owing to an ankle injury sustained at last summer’s European Championship. This was her sixth league start and first 90 minutes. “When she is performing at this level, she is one of the first that you put in your starting XI,” Bompastor said. “[It’s] important going into the business end of the season to have a player of this quality who is performing at that level. The most important thing is to keep her as fit as possible … It’s important for her to build on this fitness.” SD
