It was a result which looked in doubt after an uncomfortable first half, but Chelsea overcame their demons to beat Wolfsburg in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final to set up a thrilling return match next week.
A 2-1 win in Budapest seemed unlikely after Wolfsburg showed why they are deserved German league title holders. The lion's share of attacks were theirs, with the Blues often seeming to be on the back foot.
But a spirited fighting spell in the second half paid dividends, and Emma Hayes' side were 2-0 up after 64 minutes.
First Fran Kirby fed her strike partner Sam Kerr, who rounded the keeper and fired high into the roof of the net from a seemingly impossibly tight angle after 55 minutes.
Then it became 2-0 as Kirby intercepted a loose back pass, stroked the ball to Kerr who offloaded to Pernille Harder to score against her old side.
The tension towards the end was almost unbearable as Chelsea captain Magda Eriksson mistimed a tackle in the box, and gave away a penalty which Dominique Janssen converted.
And 2-1 it remained, despite a controversial incident in stoppage time as Alexandra Popp clattered into the airborne Ann-Katrin Berger. Both players were hurt, but Hayes (booked for the vehemence of her touchline protests) clearly felt there was recklessness on Popp's part.
Chelsea now have to navigate a WSL game against Aston Villa on Sunday before trying to advance to the semis of the trophy Hayes has set her heart on.
Zecira Musovic will be in goal, Hannah Blundell will be right back, Erin Cuthbert will start, as will Jessie Fleming, and Drew Spence could find herself on from the first whistle too as the changes are rung to preserve the core of the first team.
It is rare for a Chelsea team to be outplayed, but it happened in the first half against Wolfsburg who, under Uefa rules, have an away goal to take into the second encounter.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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