Frustrations abound in the corridors at Stamford Bridge, summed up in one 10-letter word... Manchester.
Not only did Jose Mourinho put one over his old club at Old Trafford, aided by ex-Blue Romelu Lukaku, but Chelsea Ladies were denied the chance to put blue water between them and their arch-rivals.
United beat Chelsea 2-1 after Willian had inspired a dazzling start to the afternoon, underlining the fact that he’s presently a more potent threat than Eden Hazard, who looks certain to quit for continental career advancement this summer.
Across the sprawl at the Academy stadium it finished 2-2 for Chelsea Ladies as Manchester City clawed their way back into a match that should have been beyond them; a source of frustration for coach Emma Hayes. “They had two attempts on target, we had 100,” she said.
What’s going wrong? The Blues are in danger of losing out on an all-important Champions League spot. Worse, they could cede glory to Liverpool and Spurs.
Meanwhile, Chelsea Ladies are struggling to kill off a title race which, with seven matches to go, really should be theirs.
The men are running out of road. There’s another jaunt to Manchester this weekend to face City, and a further week and a half to wait until the Barcelona return leg which will either make or break this up-and-down season.
Wheels are starting to come off the waggon.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
