We ran out 5-0 winners over Chelsea at Kingsmeadow on Sunday, ending their 25-game unbeaten streak in the Women’s Super League.
Joe Montemurro’s side have typically smothered their opponents with possession over the course of the season so far, but against Chelsea, we altered our style and looked to create on the counter.
We spoke to Montemurro after the final whistle - and this is what he said:
on his overall assessment of the game...
It’s difficult to say because I didn’t think the football was magnificent, but you expect that in a derby and a game of this situation. They were very good in the first couple of minutes and had a chance and maybe could have a penalty, then after that we started to take over. We controlled the game, created chances and worked on the gaps that we thought we could exploit - and it worked!
on the way that his side reacted to a slow start…
I keep on saying that Chelsea are a powerful team and if they get an opportunity to score then we would have been in trouble. These are the sort of things that happen in these games, they’re moments and in the end we had even more chances to make it a bigger result, but that’s the game. It’s moments and how you react to the moments – and as I keep on saying, they’re a very good side and we took our chances today.
on choosing to counter against Chelsea…
It was always going to be that sort of game because they push a lot of players and they attack with five or six players, so we had to be a little bit smarter and a little more restricted in terms of retaining the ball, but we had to be more direct and it worked.
on finally beating Chelsea…
It’s nice! Especially to beat a team that hasn’t been beaten here in a long time and to come away from home and do it with a little bit of style. I’m very happy.
on our attack scoring five against a Chelsea side who only conceded 13 times last season…
We’ve been working on transitions because we knew that would be the game. They attack in numbers and they leave spaces at the back, so we felt that with a smart and patient press, as well as taking little risks, we could find the space behind their defence.
on Williamson’s stunning last-ditch tackle at 2-0…
Those are the moments! There were also opportunities that they saved and it could have been worse for them, but those are the moments. There were three of four moments where it could have changed the game and that’s quality high-level football. That’s what we’re here for and we just hope that we put on a good show for the fans.
on fans thinking of a title challenge…
It’s still early! We have a very big game against Reading next week and they’re a very good side, so we now need to focus on that and make sure we’re ready for that.
on whether playing against top sides in pre-season helped us to beat Chelsea…
Absolutely. Let’s not kid ourselves, Chelsea are one of the best teams in Europe, they’re a very good side and today they were exposed, but I expect them to come back bigger and better.
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