Breaking down Chelsea's game of four quarters against Manchester United

Manchester United ended Chelsea’s perfect start to the season with a resilient display that will fill Marc Skinner’s side with confidence

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For just the second time in the club’s history, Manchester United took points off Chelsea in the Women’s Super League. Despite a strong start and finish to the game, Sonia Bompastor’s side showed some worrying signs in between, especially in the first half. With the Blues dominating the beginning and end of the game and the Red Devils coming out on top during the periods before and after half-time, the game played out in four quarters. Here’s how it all went down.

First quarter

On paper, Chelsea lined up with a traditional back four of Ellie Carpenter, Nathalie Björn, Millie Bright and Sandy Baltimore, with Erin Cuthbert and Keira Walsh operating in the base of the midfield, and Wieke Kaptein playing as the No 10.

The front three was made up of Aggie Beever-Jones, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, and Catarina Macario, who led the line for the first time this season. However, in possession, the Blues reverted to the back-three shape they have been experimenting with this season, with Carpenter slotting in as the third centre-back, Baltimore and Rytting Kaneryd operating as wing-backs, and Kaptein playing as the right-sided No 10.

This hybrid system caused United problems early on, particularly Kaptein’s positioning, as the Dutch international moved between being a traditional No 10 in a midfield three and a right-sided attacking No 10 in a front three. United’s defence failed to track her runs into the box as she got on the end of two big chances in the first 20 minutes, burying the first one and forcing a brilliant save from Phallon Tullis-Joyce on the second occasion.