How Women's FA Cup defeat exposed Chelsea’s ongoing flaws
The 3-2 loss to Manchester City epitomised the highs and lows of Chelsea’s season
For long stretches of their Women’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City, Chelsea looked like the better team. They pressed aggressively from the opening minutes, created the clearer chances, generated more territorial control and consistently found ways to destabilise one of the best teams in Europe. Yet they still lost.
That contradiction has increasingly become the story of Chelsea’s season.
The 3-2 defeat to City did not feel isolated. In many ways, it mirrored the Women’s Champions League tie against Arsenal only weeks earlier: another matchup in which Chelsea often looked superior across large stretches of both games, but were ultimately undone by defensive mistakes, poor finishing and an inability to manage decisive moments.
Against City, however, the performance itself may have been one of Chelsea’s best this season. And that is precisely what made the collapse feel even more revealing.
A more dangerous Chelsea attack
Over the past few weeks, Chelsea have quietly moved on from their false 9 system, shifting back towards a structure built around a true centre-forward. Sam Kerr’s return as a fixed reference point up front, combined with Lauren James starting nominally from the left, has significantly altered the team’s attacking dynamics. Rather than relying on a constantly rotating front line without a natural focal point, Chelsea now have clearer occupation of central spaces. Kerr gives the side a physical outlet both into feet and on direct balls, while James operates with near-total freedom around her.
Against City, those dynamics were visible immediately.
Chelsea repeatedly used Kerr as a platform to progress attacks, either through direct passes into her feet or by using her to connect quickly with runners around her. Every time Kerr dropped short, Sjoeke Nusken aggressively attacked the space beyond her, keeping her function as an invader. Meanwhile, James drifted constantly inside from the left wing, often appearing at the edge of the box or even dropping deep alongside Keira Walsh during buildup to aid circulation.
The stress of the latter was a far more dangerous attacking structure than Chelsea had shown for large parts of the season. The second half especially showcased the complexity of Chelsea’s new buildup dynamics. In possession, Chelsea frequently constructed with the centre-backs split extremely wide around Hampton, while James dropped unusually deep alongside Walsh. The movement was designed to manipulate City’s pressing structure and stretch horizontally the distances between their midfield line.
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