Chelsea Women head coach Sonia Bompastor says teams “wish to be in our position” despite a “disappointing” 2-2 draw against West Ham Women in the WSL.
The Blues raced into a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes in a dominant opening, but were pegged back by two Shekiera Martinez goals as the in-form Hammers fought back for a draw.
The result cuts Chelsea’s lead at the top of the table to six points, with the chasing pack – Arsenal, Man Utd and Man City – all winning their matches on Sunday.
However, despite her own confession that elements ‘weren’t good enough’, Bompastor is keeping a balanced view with her team still yet to be beaten in the WSL this season.
She told Sky Sports: “We had a really dominant first half, especially the first 30 minutes. We created a lot of opportunities, we should have scored more than two goals in the first half, but we didn’t.
“After, we allowed West Ham to score from a throw-in, which isn’t good from us. The performance in the second half wasn’t good enough for us to get a better result.
“We also conceded too many situations defensively, but when you look at the bigger picture, there’s four games left, we’re six points clear and in a really good position. Teams will wish to be in our position.
“It’s a disappointing result but we are in a really good position still going into the next block… we need to stay together and be positive.”
Goals from Maika Hamano and Aggie Beever-Jones gaveChelsea the early lead in their WSL clash with West Ham
Sunday’s game marked the end of a gruelling few weeks for Chelsea, including a four-match showdown with Man City across three competitions. They beat their WSL rivals in the Champions League on Thursday night to reach the semi-finals, and are also in the final four of the FA Cup.
But Bompastor is not using their schedule as an excuse for the draw, adding: “This block [of games] has been crazy. We’ve played so many games – eight games in 28 days, we’ve travelled a lot, played intense games – and it’s always difficult with this quick turnaround to have all the energy.
“But it’s not an excuse. We have the depth and the quality in the squad enough to finish this block with a better result. But sometimes it happens when you’re not clinical enough.”
Skinner delighted with West Ham character
West Ham’s Shekiera Martinez smashed in a volley to make it 2-1 in her team’s WSL clash with Chelsea
For West Ham, they are now unbeaten in their last three WSL games, and losing just once in the last five. That run includes taking points from Chelsea and Man City.
Hammers boss Rehanne Skinner told Sky Sports: “It’s the first time we’ve had a point off Chelsea. We worked incredibly hard and we caused them problems at the end. I’m delighted with the character and how the team went about the game.
“We probably want to forget the first 20 minutes or so but we grew into it after that and we did well towards the end to get the goal.
West Ham’s Shekiera Martinez scores late in their WSL clash with Chelsea, but was the striker in an offside position in the lead-up to the goal?
“The squad depth has improved… and It’s that ‘never say die’ attitude across the team. The belief and confidence in the team has grown so much based on the way we’re playing.
“The character in the team gets us to the point where we know we can get something out of it.”
West Ham are now up to seventh in the WSL table, with Skinner adding: “We’re looking to finish as high up the table as we can.
“I never look at the bottom of the table, only the teams we’re trying to catch and that’s what has driven this team game on game. We’re focused on the one in front and we want to beat the next team.”
Christensen: West Ham not lucky, they’ve worked hard
Izzy Christensen on Sky Sports: “Bringing Martinez into the side has given West Ham a lot of belief in that area… They’re forming a nice trio up front with Asseyi and Ueki.
“What impressed me the most today was staying in the game and being competitive. The way they followed through in the second half, they were up in Chelsea’s faces and deserve a lot of credit.
“West Ham are not lucky right now and they’ve worked hard to get this run of results. That comes because they’ve stuck to their task and believing in what they do.
“It’s a message to other teams in this league in being patient and also knowing it’s a process. A point at the champions is exceptional for West Ham.”
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